Out Of the Ordinary: A Oneshot Collection
by sincerelysabrina
Summary: All oneshots. Because in the end, they were truly out of the ordinary. Austin and Ally had never liked being normal, so why start being normal with love? 16: Now all she wanted was for Austin to be happy. And maybe get a girlfriend. Preferably Ally. And then he can marry her and they can have kids and ohmygosh, the feels. She wondered what their children would look like...
1. You Know, I Know

**Pairing: Austin/Ally**  
><strong>Prompt: "... but it just doesn't feel right performing without her." Line from This One's For Keeps (1. Torrey)<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Austin's POV <strong>

He thinks about what he said to Torrey, that day when Ally got sick at his performance and he took her home, completely ignoring his obligation to perform at Torrey's sweet sixteen party- which was, technically, an obligation he was free from. He had told Torrey that Ally could have gone home with the help of a number of people, but out of all the people she could've gone home with, he had elected himself.

What was the point of performing if she wasn't there with him? It's like he had told Torrey, "It just doesn't feel right performing without her." Like that time when she and _Dallas_ had been _flirting_ during his performance. After he had finished singing "Not A Love Song", he slapped hands with the guitarist, pointed at the drummer like _hey, man, wassup? Nice job!_, then turned to Ally, expecting her to be there so he could point at her (hands in the shape of a gun, but not really**(1)**), wink, and click his tongue. But when he turned around, he saw her _flirting_ with _Dallas_, so he just stuck his hands in his pocket and hid his disappointment behind his grin that suddenly felt fake.

So, now, every time he performs, she _must_must_must_ be there, or else he _just doesn't feel right_. Having her there provides a sense of familiarity, behind the unfamiliar stage and the stranger's faces staring at him from the audience. He doesn't get nervous, nope, _that_ was never a problem. But _Ally_ fucking _Dawson_ has unraveled the cool, calm, and collected _Austin Moon_- completely flipped all his ideals; turned his world upside down.

And he likes it. He thinks that he almost _loves_ it. Because she's _Ally_, he's _Austin_, and they fit in a way that says _Austin&Ally_.

But for now, they are _Austin & Ally_, and their hugs are longer than better-than-best friend's hugs should be, their hands touch every so often**(2)**and not too coincidentally, and they stil sit too close together on the piano bench**(2)**.

She is his songwriter, better-than-best friend, and pseudo-girlfriend.

He is her rockstar/singer, better-than-best friend, and pseudo-boyfriend.

* * *

><p>Sometimes he wonders if he has a masochistic streak, because it can't be good for his health when she comes home (home is the Sonic Boom, not her house or his house, but the place that they do <em>everything<em> together) smelling like a stranger's cologne**(3)** and not of her normal strawberry-infused-with-_Ally_ scent that sends his head spinning. But still, he stays around her, hands brushing _all the time_ now, hugs becoming snuggling, and the space between them on the piano bench is suddenly reduced to nothing.

But then one day he returns to find her smelling like cinnamon and overpowering Axe and it's _absolutely __disgusting_. Plus, the _stranger_ is _standing there_, like he _belongs_ at her side. He wants to scream and shout at him, to tell him to back off and that _fuck, you don't belong there, right next to her, _I_ do_. But he controls his anger and smiles and plays nice. Then, as the stranger is leaving (thank fucking god), he _kisses_ her on the cheek, smiles as Ally blushes and fidgets, and leaves. Austin's blood is boiling, because she doesn't smell like Ally anymore, and he has the overpowering urge to punch something. So he does.

The next thing he knows, there's a sharp pain in his knuckles, and the double-reinforced walls are still in pristine condition. There's blood everywhere and Ally's screaming at him, dialing 911 on the phone as fast as she can. All he can do is slide down the wall and stare blankly at his bloody fist.

Sighing, he covers his face with his good hand, sticking his head in between his knees. He wonders how a girl can do this to him, then remembers that it's _Ally_. Of course _she_ can do this to him. He wants to say something to her, but can't quite manage to swallow, because the air still smells like cinnamon and Axe, and it's _fucking killing_ him.

The ambulance comes screaming down the street a minute later, and he's brought to the ER where his hand is treated. At the age of 21, he no longer needs parental permission, so his hand is fixed immediately. An hour later, he comes out of the ER, to the bright red convertible that he bought her when she turned 18- because after years of hard work, he and Ally were finally rich and famous, her a famous singer/songwriter, him a famous star. Though they are rich and famous, they've kept Sonic Boom, living together in the two levels above the store. He peers inside the car and finds an asleep Ally. Chuckling tiredly, he opens the door, picks her up and deposits her gently in the passenger seat, all with one hand. Then he plucks the keys from her hand and starts the car, driving one-handed all the way home.

The next morning he wakes up to the smell of pancakes and is momentarily disoriented. He pads quietly down to the kitchen, not bothering to put a shirt on. In the kitchen, he sees Ally making pancakes, humming lightly under her breath.**(4)** His breath catches, because it finally smells like strawberries-and-Ally again, and the revolting smell of cinnamon and Axe is gone.

He makes his way across the kitchen to her, and wraps his arms around her waist, kissing her shoulder. This is farther than he's ever gone before (kisses-on-the-cheek, kisses-on-the-lips, been there, done that, mostly by accident). "Morning, Ally," he murmurs against her skin.

With an almost-audible gasp, she turns around- smack-dab into his chest. "Austin!" She opens her mouth again, probably to start yelling at him for punching the wall.

He cuts her off, grabbing her wrist and groaning. "Ally, I know you're mad, but can I have breakfast first?" He sends her an adorable pleading look, and she caves.

"Fine," she snaps. "But afterwards, you're telling me why you punched that wall last night."

He nods agreeably, sitting down at the breakfast island, watching as she flips the pancakes one last time and deposits them on a plate- _his_ plate. "Thanks," he murmurs, digging into the pancakes enthusiastically and ignoring her pointed stare, knowing that the moment he looks up, she would start interrogating him.

Finally, Ally gets impatient and rips the fork out of his hand, throwing it into the sink and crossing her arms against her chest. "Talk," she demands.

All he gets out is a pitiful, "But I wasn't done yet..."

Ally rolls her eyes and sits down next to him, laying her head on his shoulder, suddenly too tired to be mad anymore. "So what was that all about? You know, last night? When you freaked out after James left?"

Austin tenses immediately. So that was his name. _James_. He really wanted to stall, but he knew that Trish and Dez would be on their way to the store soon, after hearing about what happened the night before. So he tells her the simplest version of the truth he could think of. "I punched the wall because I was angry."

Ally sends him a look that said _okay, and..._?

He sighs and decides, _well, what the fuck? _Might as well tell her the whole truth. "I punched the wall because he kissed you. Ally, he can't kiss you!"

With a shocked look, she sits back, removing herself from him. "W-Were you jealous?"

He wants to say _no, of course not_, but he is _sick and tired_ of denying his feelings. "Yes. I was jealous. Ally, I get jealous every time you come home and you smell like a stranger's cologne, and not strawberries-and-Ally. Ally, I had a crush on you when we were eighteen- young and stupid. But I'm twenty-one now, and I'm done denying the truth. I like- no, screw this, I love you." With that, he pulls her to him and crushes his lips against hers. He hears her let out a small gasp, and he grins against her lips.

They're _finally_finally_finally_ doing what they've always wanted to do, and they're both thinking that heaven can't get much better than this. Without knowing it, Austin starts backing her up against the couch, his fingers tangled in her hair and hers in his. They both tumble backwards onto the couch, still connected by the lips. He coaxes her lips open- she tastes like cotton candy**(5)**- and he's in heaven. But suddenly his injured hand is being crushed under their collective weight, and he lets out a pained gasp.

Immediately, Ally pulls away and asks worriedly, "Are you okay?"

Austin just nods and pulls her back to him. She's holding herself up on top of him, and his hands are locked on her arms, helping her keep herself up. His good hand brings her closer to him by the chin, but when they're a whisper apart, she pulls away. Immediately, he's pouting adorably, looking like a child who got his favorite-flavored lollipop taken away.

Ally can't help but laugh, and suddenly she's in hysterics, the reality of what they are doing finally crashing upon her. Soon, there's tears running down her face from her hysterics.

Austin is immediately worried, sitting up cross-legged and pulling her into his lap, her chest pressed against his. Her arms hang loosely around his neck, and his hands are tracing circles into the small of her back. Slowly, her breathing evens out.

"Hey, Austin?" She says the words so quietly he almost doesn't hear it. "I think I love you."

He grins, so hard that it's almost painful. "That's cool. I _know_ I love you."

Sighing, she pulls back to face him. Quietly, she sighs and kisses him gently on the lips. He's delighted, and immediately the innocent kiss turns into something more passionate.

As they come apart for air _(oh yeah, you need that to live...)_, she says breathlessly, "You know, Trish and Dez are gonna come through that door any second now."

He shrugs, kissing her again. "I know." And they keep kissing.

"We could've been doing this over two years ago," Ally tells him. "You weren't the only one who still had crushes at the age of eighteen. Actually, I was kind of in love."

"Let's make up for the lost time," he breathes out, grinning wolfishly at her shy smile.

They're still kissing when the front door opens, followed by the sound of Trish and Dez arguing.

A sudden halt in their arguing means that they've realized that Austin was half-naked, making out with Ally.

"Ohmygod. Ohmygod. OHMYGOD!" Trish squeals.

"... Do you think they're gonna come up for air anytime soon?" asks Dez conversationally, which earns him a slap upside the head from Trish. Promptly, she drags him out the door.

"You heard that, right?" Ally murmurs.

Austin nods. "Yup." Before Trish closed the door behind her and Dez, the faint clicking of a camera could be heard. "There's paparazzi outside Sonic Boom. Actually, Trish and Dez are probably running away right now."

Ally nods, her head buried in Austin's chest. "You know, we're gonna have to answer questions tomorrow."

"I know."

"You know, there's going to be a lot of scandals and stupid stuff in the tabloids about us cheating on each other and stuff."

"I know."

"You know, this is going to be hard."

"I know. You know, I'm willing to try."

"I know. Me, too. Austin?"

"Hmm?"

"We're a strange couple, aren't we?"

"I know, but opposites attract."

"Okay. Uh, if you don't mind me asking, you said something about making up for lost time..."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah, baby! First oneshot in the series done! Onto the annotations. (1) You know in the episode Kangaroos and Chaos when, at the end of his performance, Austin points at Ally and she gives him a double thumbs-up? Yeah, that pointing thing is what I'm trying to describe. (2) Both of these are excerpts (sort of) from someone else's story. I can't find the story anymore, so if you know what it is or if you wrote it, please tell me so that I can give you credit! (3) This is from heaven smells like cotton candy by _watch it burn_. (4) If you've read Intoxication by _rainbowdipNdotz_ (which is a great story, by the way, go check it out), then this sounds a little like it. But I promise you, I'm not taking anything from that piece. If I was, I would give credit to _rainbowdipNdotz_. (5) An idea that came from reading heaven smells like cotton candy by _watch it burn_. Anyways, this indeed will be a oneshots series, and some of these pieces may relate to phrases or events in This Is For Keeps (another Austin & Ally series that I wrote) or Nobody Ever Said It was Easy (an upcoming Austin & Ally series that I'm planning out right now).**

**~ Sabrina**


	2. 10 Steps to the Altar

**Pairing: Austin/Ally**  
><strong>Prompt: "'You broke my crayon!" Line from Austin &amp; Ally Episode 4: Zaliens and Cloud Watchers<strong>  
><strong>Notes: This is an AU piece, which means Alternate Universe. In this piece, Austin and Ally have known each other since they were little. I want to give credit to a writer on FictionPress, <em>nexia<em>, who wrote 25 Steps to the Altar. After reading her oneshot, I got the inspiration to do this one. Plus, numbers 6 and 5 are situations that happened in 25 Steps to the Altar, only modified (a TON) to fit my story.**  
><strong>Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize, and some things you don't. No copyright infringement intended.<strong>

* * *

><p>10.<p>

Austin's first day of kindergarten at a new school gave him three new friends: Ally, Dez, and Trish.

He met Dez first.

"HI! My name is Dez. I like cameras!" Dez exclaimed.

"I like being in front of cameras!" replied Austin. And thus, the two became best friends.

He met Trish second.

"Hey! Let's play dress-up!" exclaimed a girl with corkscrew brown curls, her voice loud and authoritative.

"Trish, I don't wanna! I wanna color!" A girl in a floral dress complained. Her curls were looser than the first girl's.

"Okay, Ally! Let's color!" Trish agreed amiably.

"Wait, first, I need to go to the bathroom." The girl in the floral dress left, and Austin took her place.

"Can I color, too?" he asked, up-front.

Trish nodded, liking the confidence that this new boy exuded.

"Cool! I wanna color! Ew, you drew pepperoni**(1)**," muttered Dez.

"You don't like pepperoni! You meanie!" Trish threw a crayon at his head.

Ally returned to find a new boy sitting in her seat. Shrugging, she sat down next to him. "My friend is fighting with your friend," she noted.

Austin nodded. "Yup. They don't sound _really_ angry, though. My name's Austin. What's your name?"

"Ally," she replied simply, busy coloring her clown.

"Ally, why are you coloring inside the lines?" asked Austin curiously.

Ally looked surprised. "Because that's what you're supposed to do, silly!"

Austin shook his head. "Nuh-uh! Coloring outside the lines means you're fun!"

"I'm fun!"**(1)** Ally protested indignantly, promptly drawing a tiny speck outside the lines.

Austin shook his head again, and covered her hand with his. He moved their hands together crazily, scribbling outside the lines.

"No, stop!" Ally cried. **(1)**

Austin grinned. "Who's outside the lines now?" **(1)**

"You broke my crayon!"**(1) **exclaimed Ally. "But... it is kind of crazy and fun-looking," she admitted.

Five-year-old Austin beamed at five-year-old Ally. "See? I told you it's fun!"

9.

In second grade, Austin started showing signs of stardom. He would perform all the time for his friends, who all laughed and clapped along with him. At this point, Ally performed with him, showing no signs of stage fright.

Then, one day, Darren Criss came along. To just-turned-eight-year-old Ally, he was the most glorious thing she had ever seen. Brown hair with striking green eyes, the kid was definitely a looker. Not to mention, he was an attention-grabber. As a singer, dancer, and actor, he was always willing to be in the spotlight. And too-kind-for-his-own-good Austin was always willing to share the spotlight. After Darren, Ally, and Austin performed together one day, Darren chased Ally down.

"Ally!" he called, waving wildly.

Little Ally was only too glad to go talk to the boy of her dreams. "Hi, Darren," she said shyly.

"Look, I know you like performing, but I don't think it's the right place for you," he said bluntly.

Ally was taken aback. Why did Darren sound like a grown-up all of a sudden? "But I like performing," she whimpered.

He rolled his eyes. "I know that. But I'm just saying, I'm leaving to go to New York next week, and I thought I could help you. You should really stay in the background." With that, he left her at the giant maple tree.

For the next week, he and Austin performed together. Ally stayed in the shadows.

And ever since then, not performing had felt normal to Ally, and the idea of performing for a live audience made her sick to her stomach.

8.

Austin found out the reason behind Ally's dislike of performing in fifth grade. He had always been prodding and prodding and nagging at her since second grade, and one day she broke down and told him.

Like the oblivious person he was, he said, "Hey, can I fly over to New York and punch him?"

She just shook her head. "But you don't get it, Austin! Me not performing led me to a whole new world of possibilities! I write songs now."

Immediately, his attention was diverted. "Lemme hear some!"

So shyly, she scooted over on the piano bench and played him a song.

_But since you been gone_  
><em>I can breathe for the first time<em>  
><em>I'm so moving on<em>  
><em>Yeah, yeah<em>  
><em>Thanks to you<em>  
><em>Now I get<em>  
><em>What I want<em>  
><em>Since you been gone<em> **(2)**

And Austin sat back, amazed. "Wow," he whispered. "You're really good."

"Thanks," she whispered back. "Hey, Austin?"

"What?"

"Why are we whispering?"

"... I don't really know."

7.

Ally got over her stage fright at the age of 14. It was all Austin's fault, really. When he lost his voice at a concert he was supposed to sing at, she swooped in and saved his butt. Needless to say, she was awarded with a booming standing ovation, the crowd roaring its approval about the fact that little Ally Dawson (still short; damn) could sing.

After the concert, she was swept up in a giant bear hug by Austin, whose grinning face told her that she had done well, even if he couldn't say so with his voice.

The weekend after her surprise performance, Austin spent an entire day _with_ her; devoted _to_ her. He could not stop congratulating her on getting over her stage fright. They went out for ice cream at the end of the day, and Austin noticed that she still had a bit of ice cream left at the corner of her mouth.

"Here, let me get that for you," he offered. Leaning in, he swiped the corner of her mouth with his thumb, which lingered there for a period of time that was most definitely longer than necessary.

She started to open her mouth to speak, but he just shook his head and leaned in, kissing her gently.

6.

Time passed and feelings changed. _Austin_ and _Ally_ became _Austin&Ally_ at the young age of 16. But then Austin's mom had to be relocated for her job, and _Austin&Ally_ became _Austin_ and _farfarfar_ away _Ally_.

They met five years later at college; a chance encounter on the large campus of the famous music school they had both decided to attend. Over the course of four years, both of them were starting to get famous, rising to the top of the charts and beyond.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" cried Ally, crashing into a hard chest as she rounded the corner hurriedly. Her books went flying out of her hand, as well as several sheets of music.

"Here, let me help you with that," the stranger replied, in a familiar voice.

Finally lifting her head up to see him, Ally gasped. "Austin?"

He froze for a moment then beamed at her. "ALLY!" He swept her up in a bear hug, and she laughed gleefully.

"Wow, what a coincidence, huh?" she mused, after he had put her down and collected her things. They were talking on a bench, and it was almost like old times again; sitting too close next to each other, hands inching closer, just itching to link with the other.

He shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not." He decided to take the leap and took her hand. "Jesus,**(3)** Ally, you're still as tiny as ever."

Ally mock-glared at him. "You grew. I didn't. End of story."

"So, what are you doing here, Alls?" he asked.

She felt her heart go BA-DUMP at the mention of her old nickname. "Take a guess," she replied.

"For... music?" At her nod, Austin continued. "Songwriting?"

"Good job!" Ally exclaimed, mock-proud. "You get a sticker!"

"Do I really?" Austin's eyes became wide with pleading.

Ally laughed at his childishness. "No. Unfortunately, I don't have any stickers with me. But, hey, I've got this." She handed him a plain black guitar pick, with an "A" etched in gold at the center. "Huh, that's convenient. I guess I don't have to change the letter of the pick; we've got the same first initial." **(4)**

Austin accepted the pick, tucking it carefully into his pocket. "I'll treasure it forever," he promised.

She laughed. "Just join me for lunch tomorrow, 'kay?"

He nodded. "It's a date."

5.

One year of being back together as friends passed, and no progress had been made between Austin and Ally. No romantic progress, we mean, like Trish and Dez wanted.

But one day, Austin lost his wallet at Madison Square Garden, and went back everyday for three days until he found it. He said he didn't care about the money in the wallet, his credit cards, or his pictures of his friends. So, to Ally, it didn't make much sense for him to go back to look for it every day.

When he found it, he showed her the only reason why he bothered to go looking for it: a plain black guitar pick, with an "A" etched in gold at the center.

She cupped her hands to her mouth, speechless with surprise. "Oh, my god," she murmured, promptly throwing her arms around a surprised Austin, sending them both tumbling to the ground. "Ouch," she hissed.

"Yeah, well, at least I was there to break your fall," groaned Austin, pushing himself up on his elbows. Suddenly, he came face to face with Ally, their faces barely a centimeter apart. "Is this the part where I kiss you?" asked Austin.

Ally breathed out a, "Yes. Hurry up already."

And so he did. He kissed her, and she kissed him back, and they were basically kissing in public, on the ground, in the middle of December. Which meant the grass they were on was covered with snow, and their cheeks were rosy and red, and they looked like snow angels.

It had been a long time coming.

4.

Ally could be really stupid sometimes, mused Austin. Three months after dating her, and she still hadn't figured out just how much he loved her. Because there was a blonde chick standing next to him, obviously flirting with him. And Ally was jealous. Her tiny hands (which he loved to cover with his) were clenched into fists, in the pockets of her jeans.

Sighing, he pulled her to him by the belt loops and kissed her soundly- in public, next to the suddenly mollified blonde chick, with an audience of approximately fifteen (they were at the local coffee shop).

"Oh," she said softly.

"Yeah," he snorted. "Oh. Ally, I think I kinda love you."

"Yeah? I think I kinda love you, too."

3.

He shouldn't be jealous of a stuffed bear. Right? Oh, screw this, that bear was so going down.

"Austin, why do you look like you're about to kill Edmund?" asked Ally curiously.

Austin resisted the urge to snort. Stupid _Edmund_. Ally had named the fucking thing. "Oh, no reason," he gritted out. Now she was _cuddling_ with him. "Hey, Ally?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you pay more attention to me, and not the bear?"

"_Austin_! Play nice!"

Groan. "Ugh. Fine." _Oh, I'm watching you, Edmund_, he thought, directing a menacing glare at the stuffed bear who looked _oh-so-innocent_.

2.

The day he decided to ask her to marry him was the day of their second anniversary. She knitted him a hat, and he made her a cake.

As he watched her clean the dishes after their "romantic dinner", he decided that he liked saying _our kitchen_ better than _my kitchen_. Because the sight of Ally cleaning _their_ dishes at _their_ sink, cooking _their_ dinner at _their_ stove, and dancing around _their_ living room to _their_ boombox brought a warm feeling to his chest- directly where his heart lay.

Of course, he went through many, many plots to propose. There was the classic- get down on one knee and say, "Marry me." It was tried and true, but Austin also felt that it was _boring_.

In his head, the perfect marriage proposal lay in a song. But there was that one tiny problem: he wasn't so hot at writing songs.

But she was _Ally_, and he was _Austin_, and he wanted them to become _Mr. and Mrs. Moon_. So he spent countless nights working on the song, and sometimes, even got little oblivious Ally to help him.

When the day of December 14 rolled around, Austin was ready. He served Ally breakfast in bed (it was only a little burnt), took her out to the park, and then brought her to Times Square. He told her to close her eyes and trust him.

So she did.

And he sang for her, into a microphone that was suddenly there.

_It's a beautiful night, _  
><em>We're looking for something dumb to do. <em>  
><em>Hey baby, <em>  
><em>I think I wanna marry you. <em>

_Is it the look in your eyes, _  
><em>Or is it this dancing juice? <em>  
><em>Who cares baby, <em>  
><em>I think I wanna marry you. <em>

_Well I know this little chapel on the boulevard we can go, _  
><em>No one will know, <em>  
><em>Come on girl. <em>  
><em>Who cares if we're trashed got a pocket full of cash we can blow, <em>  
><em>Shots of patron, <em>  
><em>And it's on girl. <em>

_Don't say no, no, no, no-no; _  
><em>Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah; <em>  
><em>And we'll go, go, go, go-go. <em>  
><em>If you're ready, like I'm ready. <em>

_Cause it's a beautiful night, _  
><em>We're looking for something dumb to do. <em>  
><em>Hey baby, <em>  
><em>I think I wanna marry you. <em>

_Is it the look in your eyes, _  
><em>Or is it this dancing juice? <em>  
><em>Who cares baby, <em>  
><em>I think I wanna marry you. <em>

_I'll go get a ring let the choir bells sing like oooh, _  
><em>So whatcha wanna do? <em>  
><em>Let's just run girl. <em>

_If we wake up and you wanna break up that's cool. _  
><em>No, I won't blame you; <em>  
><em>It was fun girl. <em>

_Don't say no, no, no, no-no; _  
><em>Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah; <em>  
><em>And we'll go, go, go, go-go. <em>  
><em>If you're ready, like I'm ready. <em>

_Cause it's a beautiful night, _  
><em>We're looking for something dumb to do. <em>  
><em>Hey baby, <em>  
><em>I think I wanna marry you. <em>

_Is it the look in your eyes, _  
><em>Or is it this dancing juice? <em>  
><em>Who cares baby, <em>  
><em>I think I wanna marry you. <em>

_Just say I do, _  
><em>Tell me right now baby, <em>  
><em>Tell me right now baby. [x2]<em>

_Cause it's a beautiful night, _  
><em>We're looking for something dumb to do. <em>  
><em>Hey baby, <em>  
><em>I think I wanna marry you. <em>

_Is it the look in your eyes, _  
><em>Or is it this dancing juice? <em>  
><em>Who cares baby, <em>  
><em>I think I wanna marry you.<em> **(5)**

Halfway through the song, she started laughing with joy. At the end, she threw her arms around his neck and sent them both crashing backwards onto the ground. "Ouch," she muttered.

"Yeah, well, at least I was here to break your fall," replied Austin. "And I always will be."

"...that was cheesy," admitted Ally. "But it was cute."

Austin snorted, then smirked. "You loved it."

"Only because I love you."

"I love you, too."

1.

The day of the wedding was a _big_big_big_ day for everyone. Ally was completely ready- five minutes before the wedding music was due to start, she was calm and munching on a pickle in front of the doors.

Austin was cool, calm, and collected- as always.

Trish and Dez, on the other hand...

"I can't do this! I just can't!" exclaimed Dez, pacing back and forth.

"Nonono, sweetie, of course you can," Trish comforted him. The odd couple had been married for six months now.

"What if I forget? Austin'll never forgive me! And just imagine the disappointed look on Ally's face..." Dez trailed off, looking on the verge of tears.

Though years had passed, Trish's impatient manner had never changed. So she slapped her husband. "Pull yourself together!" she scolded him.

Dez shook his head, clearing it. Dropping a kiss on Trish's head, he said, "Thanks, hon. I needed that." Austin had chosen him to be the officiate for his and Ally's wedding, and Dez had spent months upon months memorizing the sacred words that would bind Austin and Ally in matrimony.

Though he had his doubts, the ceremony went smoothly, and Dez did not forget what he was supposed to say. "Do you, Austin Geoffrey Moon, take Ally Isabelle Dawson as your lawfully wedded wife?"

Austin only had eyes for Ally as he grinned widely and said, "I do."

"And do you, Ally Isabelle Dawson, take Austin Geoffrey Moon as your lawfully wedded husband?"

Tears were shining in Ally's eyes as she said, "I do."

"I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." As Dez patted himself on the back for a job well done, Austin and Ally met halfway in the middle in a long, lingering kiss that had them both beaming.

* * *

><p>For Austin and Ally, it took ten steps to the altar, over the course of twenty years, but they did it. Mr. and Mrs. Moon. Huh. It has a nice ring to it.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So I didn't like that ending either. Anyways, I was on a cruise last week, so I didn't get the chance to update. Annotations! (1) Lines from Episode 4 of Austin & Ally: Zaliens and Cloud Watchers. (2) Since U Been Gone does not belong to me. No copyright infringement intended. (3) No offense intended to Christians. I just figured it's something an average college student would say. Of course, I wouldn't know, being 13 and all... (4) Reference to 2. Ben of This One's For Keeps. (5) Marry You does not belong to me. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Well, that's about it. Check out my WordPress- the link is on my profile. **

**Adios, amigo!**

**~Sabrina**


	3. Sticky Notes

**Pairing: Austin/Ally**

**Prompt: A oneshot I read on FictionPress, about how a couple wrote sticky-notes to each other instead of saying "I love you" all the time. If anyone knows who the author is, please tell me, because I'd love to give them credit!**  
><strong>Notes: A shout-out to TheWritingGames! I know we haven't talked in a while, but we just started talking again today (ROSS LYNCH, LEO HOWARD, and ALEX PETTYFER? <em>Oh yesss<em>), and I gotta say, I missed talking to you, girl! Anyways, you guys should PM me more often, because my Inbox is looking kinda lonely.**  
><strong>Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize, and some things you don't. No copyright infringement intended. <strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Ally's Niece's POV<strong>

_We're out of pickles. Can you please go get some for me from the grocery store?_

If you make me some pancakes, then sure.

_I want pickles._

I want pancakes.

_Austin. Please._

Ally. Please.

_Please? Pickles?_

Please? Pancakes?

That was how they communicated during their busy, twenty-one-year-old lives. In the penthouse suite (overlooking NYC) that they lived in, you were sure to find sticky notes on the stainless steel fridge door. Flowy, pretty handwriting was Aunt Ally's. Scrawled out, chicken-scratch handwriting was Austin's. Sometimes, their schedules conflicted, and they wouldn't see each other's faces for days at a time. Text messaging was too annoying, as most of the time, their phones would be filled to the brim with messages from directors, producers, designers, and everyone else under the sky. Calling meant that at any given second, the other might hang up- maybe the director needed them, or their short, five-minute breaks had been cut even shorter and they were needed in the studio.

So, they resorted to sticky notes. It worked amazingly well for them.

_I'll be gone for two days. Movie premiere in Vegas. _

I'm coming with you.

_Austin, your schedule is completely booked for those two days._

I don't care. I'll get Kerry to clear everything. Vegas is dangerous.

_Stop being overprotective._

I'll stop being overprotective when you start taking karate lessons.

_Let's talk. Face-to-face. Where are you? _

At the studio. Come see me. Studio food is horrible. I bought pickles.

_I'll bring pancakes._

Once in a while, I'd put a sticky note up there for them.

**Aunt Ally, Austin says that Mark died. He needs you now. Who's Mark? (1)**

Austin, Aunt Ally's boyfriend, had called to tell me the news. So I put up a sticky note for Aunt Ally, but what if she didn't read it in time? I called her, and she came running to the suite.

"Oh," she breathed out, upon reading the note. "Austin."

She sent me to Grandma's that night, even though we were supposed to have a sleepover.

The next morning, I went back to their suite, only to find the place empty. On the fridge, two sticky notes remained.

_You want pancakes?_

Yeah. Sure. I'll bring pickles.

That was their way of comforting each other. I know that they probably went out to a park or something, and Aunt Ally must have hugged Austin while he cried over the death of Mark, who, as I later found out, was his grandfather.

A week later, they were both dressed in black for Mark's funeral. I saw Aunt Ally kissing Austin's tears away, when it should have been the other way around. But Aunt Ally just told Austin that he chose the best pickles to buy at the grocery store. He replied that she made the best pancakes. I think that was their way of saying "I love you", though I never heard the words actually being said.

I think their system was better, though. Saying "I love you" all the time only seemed to wear the words out, and I've seen relationships fall apart because "I love you" was simply not enough.

Their love story always made much more sense to me than the ones told in books and movies. They weren't with each other because they couldn't live without each other. That would make it seem like they didn't have a choice _but_ to be with each other. They were with each other _because_ they could stand to be without each other, but instead, they _chose_ to be together.

I wanted that. I wanted the "I love you"'s told through "Make me pancakes" and "Buy me pickles". Against the rest of the world, with all their "I love you"'s and "I couldn't live without you"'s, I wanted someone who stayed with me because they wanted to.

My friends grew up, got married, and had "I love you" relationships. They worked out just fine. And even my husband was an "I love you" type of guy. But we really did love each other, so it was okay. I guess when Aunt Ally and Austin fell in love, they defied millions of years of evolution and said "You make the best pancakes" and "You always pick the best pickles to buy" instead of "I do."

Aunt Ally and Austin (who became Uncle Austin at the age of twenty-six) were out of the ordinary. They didn't need "I love you"'s. All they needed were promises of pancakes and pickles.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, that was really short. It was just a little drabble that I wanted to do. Annotations! (1) In real life, Mark Lynch is Ross Lynch's father. If any of you don't know, Ross Lynch plays Austin on Austin & Ally.**


	4. Of Studying and Heart Attacks

**Pairing: Austin/Ally**  
><strong>Prompt: None, this time.<strong>  
><strong>Notes: Two chapters in one day! I'm on a roll.<strong>  
><strong>Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize, and some things you don't. No copyright infringement intended.<strong>

* * *

><p>"Hey, Austin. Wanna work on that new song?" asked Ally, sitting down at the piano bench.<p>

"Can't," groaned Austin. "I've got math homework to do. Wait," his eyes lit up. "Ally, you're in Honors Math, right? Help me!"

Ally sighed. "Alright, alright." She went over to him and picked up his math book. "Okay, so you should start this problem by making an equation from the words..."

They worked for two hours, and, surprisingly, they had a lot of fun. In the middle of a problem, Austin suddenly crumpled up a piece of paper and shot it at Ally's chest. Surprised, she blinked at him for a moment, giving him the chance to launch another paper ball at her. Ally sprung into action, and a paper ball war began. At the end, the ground was littered with paper balls, and Austin was a lot more willing to learn.

"OH, I get it now!" cried Austin. "Thankyouthankyou_thankyou_!" He grabbed her up in a hug.

"Ow- Austin- can't breathe," Ally choked out.

Austin laughed, releasing her. "Sorry, Alls."

"AUSTIN!" A shrill voice reverberated through the store. "Austin? Is that you- oh, hi, Ally." A tall blonde girl suddenly showed up in front of Ally.

"Oh, yeah! Ally, meet Carrie. She's my date for the movies tonight. Carrie, this is Ally, my best girl friend!" Austin beamed at them both.

"Hi." Ally's greeting was short, clipped, and tight.

"Hi, Ally." Carrie's greeting was no less cold.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Austin looked confused. Why weren't they hugging and laughing like they were supposed to?

"Nothing. Um, I'd better leave you two, so you can have some privacy." Ally gave a tight smile, then left.

"Austin, baby, let's go." Carrie took his arm and led him out the door. But along the way, the only thing Austin could do was puzzle over Ally's abrupt goodbye. Where was the quirky, bubbly, amazingly talented, slightly adorable girl he had been used to, and why was this new, cold, kinda scary girl in her place?

* * *

><p>"Oh, <em>no he didn't!<em>" Trish's voice was outraged, and Ally could hear the sound of furious pacing over the phone.

"Relax, Trish, it's not like we were _together_, or anything, right?" Ally tried to calm her down. She had told Trish about Austin and Carrie, and being the loyal, overprotective best friend that she was, Trish had blown up at Austin- through the phone, to Ally.

"Uh, you might as well have been! _Hello_, Ally, he _kissed_**(1)**you! That's it, I'm coming over there to talk some sense into that boy!" Trish couldn't stop fuming.

"It doesn't matter. He already left with _Carrie_." Ally was very careful to keep her voice controlled as she said _that girl_'s name.

"Oh, sweetie, are you okay?" Immediately, Trish's voice softened.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Ally's voice was soft. She had, inevitably, fallen for Austin in the past year and a half, and she had fallen _hard_. Trish and Dez both knew how she felt about Austin, but Austin, oblivious, carefree, _amazing_ Austin had never noticed. Austin had gone on many dates before, but none of them had meant much to him. For him to want her to meet and like Carrie obviously meant that she meant a lot to him, and that _hurt_. A year and a half could change a lot of things, including the way Austin and Ally behaved around each other. They were considered a pseudo-couple, and he hadn't gone on _any_ dates since he kissed her.

So what if they both happened to be at the park at the same time? Doesn't mean they can't feed the geese (the pond hadn't been removed upon unanimous request) together. And if they both happened to be at the same restaurant at the same time, then why not share a table and leave more space for other customers? If Ally needed more pickles, _of course_ Austin would go, too, because he needed pancake mix. And if they happened to see an ad for a movie that looked really good, why not go see it together?

But now that Austin had started dating again, the fragile almost-relationship between the two had been shattered.

And Trish was furious about that. "Who said he could go on dates, huh?" she complained to Dez, that following evening.

"I dunno. Austin's kinda oblivious," he replied, playing with the ends of Trish's hair.

"Don't touch my hair," she snapped.

"But it's so soft! What conditioner do you use?" he asked, curious.

"DEZ!"

"What?"

"Focus!"

"I am focusing! Jeez, woman!" And so the arguing begins again.

* * *

><p>A week later, Austin was back, asking for more help in math.<p>

"Ugh, this is so hard!" he complained.

Patiently, Ally explained it to him once again, but Austin couldn't help but concentrate on her lips as she talked...

"Austin? AUSTIN!" Ally waved a hand over his eyes, jerking him out of his trance.

"Um, yeah. Sorry. What was that?"

Ally just rolled her eyes and explained it to him. Again.

"Ally, you're a saint," declared Austin, after their long study session. "You know, I'd take you out for ice cream or something, but Carrie and I are going to the bowling alley. See ya later!" he called out, leaping over the counter and leaving out the door.

"Bye," she replied softly.

* * *

><p>"ALLY! LOOK AT THIS!" Austin ran up to her, yelling her name in the middle of the school hallway. When he reached her, he waved a piece of paper wildly in her face.<p>

Ally laughed, blocking his excited face from coming too close to hers. "What is it?" She took the paper, read it for a brief moment, then shrieked, "OHMYGOD! I'm so proud of you!" She leaped forward into his waiting arms.

"100 percent in math, baby! Whoo!" he cheered, planting a brief kiss on her cheek, making her freeze. He didn't notice, though, because Carrie was behind her. "Oh, hey, Carrie! Look at this!" He released Ally from his arms to show Carrie his math test.

"Great job, baby!" Carrie beamed at him.

"And it's all thanks to Ally!" declared Austin.

"Oh, I'm sure it is! Still, you did amazing!" Carrie smiled slyly at Ally, before grabbing Austin and kissing him.

Ally tried to turn her head away, but she couldn't. It was like watching a train wreck. You wanted to stop watching, but you couldn't. Tears threatened to leak out of Ally's eyes, so she picked up her books and ran. She ran, and just kept running. Anything to get away from the sight of Carrie basically _molesting_ Austin.

* * *

><p>That night, Austin leaped up through the tree branches on the great oak tree next to the balcony of Ally's room. "Ally!" he hissed, pelting her window with a rock. Goddamn it all, he felt like some kind of a modern Romeo.<p>

"Austin?" Ally opened the doors to the balcony sleepily, only to find Austin perched precariously on a tree branch. "Austin! What are you doing here? Oh, who cares, come in before you fall off!" She urged him inside her room.

He collapsed on her bed, then sat up, staring at her as she scolded him for climbing trees in the middle of the night. He didn't hear a word she said, but what he did notice was how wisps of hair kept escaping her messy side-braid. His hands itched to brush the strands of hair away. When she started blowing her hair out of her face, he snapped and lifted a hand to brush her hair back.

"Ally." he stated. "Stop talking."

"Oh, yeah?" Ally crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "Tell me why you're here, at two-thirty in the morning."

"Why'd you run away from me and Carrie this morning?" he asked bluntly.

"Carrie and I," she corrected.

"Don't avoid the question."

"I'm not avoiding the question."

"Yes you are, you always avoid the question when it's something you don't want to talk about."

"So do you!"

"Don't change the subject."

"I'm not changing the subje- Damn it, Austin, what do you want?" Ally dropped onto the bed, her body close to his. "Just tell me now. What do you want from me, because you've already got mostly everything I've got to give."

"Can I have your heart?" asked Austin.

"That was cheesy," snapped Ally, her brain only processing the meaning behind his words a second later. "Wait, what?"

"Trish and Dez cornered me after you ran away," he said. "Ally, why didn't you just tell me that you liked me?"

"Because you started going out with Carrie!" she burst out. "You went out with Carrie, barely a month after _you kissed me_! What was I supposed to do, break you guys up?"

"No," replied Austin quietly. He stood up defiantly. "But you didn't kiss me back! In fact, you ran away!"

Ally stood up as well, indignation lighting a fire deep within her. "Yeah, well, you didn't run after me!"

"I can't be perfect, okay?" he hissed, taking a step closer. "If you wanted someone like that, you should have stayed with Dallas!"

"Dallas and I broke up, and you know it!" She took a step closer, stabbing his chest with every word. "You. Are. An idiot."

"Yeah, well, so did Carrie and I!" He shot back, backing her up against the wall.

That stopped her for a second, but only for a second. "Oh, that's great. Just tell me that I'm a relationship-wrecker, won't you!"

"Can I kiss you now?" he pleaded.

The tension in her body was instantly gone as she relaxed against the wall, giving him a look that said _maybe..._ She tapped her chin thoughtfully.

He groaned, arms caging her in between him and the wall, their foreheads touching. "Ally..." he pleaded.

She grinned and stood up on her tip-toes, kissing him swiftly on the cheek.

"Please. Stop teasing me," he breathed out.

Laughing, she looped her arms around her neck and pulled herself up to his height. Nodding once, she let him kiss her, the feeling of bliss overwhelming everything else.

Even the sound of her dad coming into her room to investigate the strange sounds. "Austin? Ally? What are you two doing- oh, my god! My eyes, my eyes!" And he promptly clambered down the stairs to get away from his daughter and her new boyfriend kissing. "Teenagers," he scoffed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: It was short. Well, I've really got nothing left to say. (1) refers to a kiss that will eventually happen in This One's For Keeps.**


	5. Don't Go Too Hard on Austin

**Pairing: Austin/Ally**  
><strong>Prompt: I got the idea for this story from <em>ramasterharper<em>'s story, Why Should I? **  
><strong>Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize, and some things you don't. No copyright infringement intended.<strong>  
><strong>Notes: Send me some prompts, mm'kay? And check out my profile, please.<strong>

* * *

><p>Asking a woman to marry you is hard. It was a fact that Austin Moon learned the hard way.<p>

Honestly, though, girls had it easy. All they were expected to do was either: a) Cry and say yes, or b) Slap the proposer and walk away. The guy had to go buy a ring, book a fancy dinner, get all dressed up, and get the nerve to propose, all while trying not to throw up from being nervous.

But then, there was c) Be impossible. It sounds vague and stupid, but that was what Ally Dawson did on the morning of March 22nd, 2022.

**9:45 AM, 3/22/22, on the streets**

"You can do this man, I know you can." Dez, the ever-so-strange best friend, told Austin. "Just do it the way I did: smooth, suave, and calm."

Austin deadpanned. "You peed your pants, then had to go change, in order to propose."

"I had an extra-large Icee," retorted the defensive ginger.

Austin shook his head. "Whatever. You're just lucky I was there with an extra pair of pants."

"And I'll do the same for you! You can count on me," declared Dez, promptly tripping over a crack in the sidewalk.

Austin gave the fallen ginger a dubious look. "Yeah, sure, I can definitely count on you." The two best friends were on their way to the park, where they would meet up with Trish and Ally. Then, Dez and Trish would make a discreet exit as Austin took Ally to a secluded area of the park, where a picnic was set up. Hopefully- and if everything went according to plan- Ally would find the ring in her creme brulee.

**9:55 AM, 3/22/22, in the park**

Keeping the secret of your best friend's proposal is hard. Trish wanted so badly to tell Ally about Austin's plan to propose, but she knew she would ruin the surprise if she uttered even a single word- once she started talking, she just couldn't stop. But right now, Trish had other problems to deal with. She had known Ally since first grade. Likewise, after 20 years of being friends with the singer-songwriter, she knew her personality like the back of her hand. That was how she knew that Ally would have the most ridiculous reaction to being proposed to. Presumably, Ally would be awfully logical and ask the stupidest questions about Austin's method of proposing. So, to make his life easier, Trish was going to help.

"Hey, Ally?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?" The brunette turned to face her friend.

"Don't be too hard on Austin, okay?" pleaded Trish.

"What do you mean?" asked Ally. "Oh my god. Is he breaking up with me?"

"What? No!" Trish was horrified by Ally's question. "Of course not! I'm just saying, don't go all logical and stuff on him when he asks you. Just don't be all... Ally-ish."

"_Ally-ish_?" Ally shot the bushy-haired brunette an offended look.

"Oh, never mind," said Trish, exasperated with herself and Ally. "Oh, look, there's Dez and Austin."

"Hey," greeted Dez.

"Hi," returned Trish. "Is Austin behind you?"

"Yup." Dez pointed behind his shoulder to a distant mop of blonde hair.

Ally rolled her eyes and pushed the awkward ginger and the short-tempered, bushy-haired brunette together. "Oh my god, please put me out of my misery and just kiss and make up." The married couple (yeah, Trish and Dez. Married. Awkward...) had blown up at each other once again, this time over pizza toppings. Old habits die hard. **(1)**

"Oh, we already did," assured Trish.

"Then why are you two acting so strangely?"

"Uh- um, you know; we totally did not make up." Dez shook his head fervently. "Not a bit."

"Nuh-uh, we are still furious with each other," added Trish. **(2)**

"Okaaaaay..." Ally gave them a suspicious look, then turned away, and- "AUSTIN!" she screamed, tackling the blonde boy (well, not so much boy as man at the age of 26...) to the ground in a hug. Austin had been gone for three months on a short tour of the East Coast. Unfortunately, Ally had to finish recording their next album, Waves, so she couldn't come with him. The audience just had to do without Ally's voice and her songs. At twenty-five with her birthday fast approaching, Ally was an accomplished singer-songrwriter, with the stage fright all gone by the age of sixteen- with the help of Austin, of course. Austin was an internationally famous superstar, and Ally was just as famous. Ever since landing their first recording contract at nineteen, the two had been writing, living, laughing, loving, and recording together. On their albums, there was always a fair share of both the musician's work. It was never **Austin** and _Ally_ anymore, it was **Austin**&_Ally_. They were a package deal.

"Miss me?" Austin smirked, sitting up as he drank in the sight of _Ally_Ally_Ally_. Though they had called, emailed, video-chatted, and texted, nothing was quite the same as seeing each other in person.

"Yes," declared Ally, completely unashamed, unabashed, and unaware- of Dez and Trish's discreet exit.

Austin laughed, looping his arms around Ally's waist as she rested her head in the crook between his shoulder and neck, then slid down to his chest. "Glad I wasn't the only one."

"You're cheesy," she mumbled into his chest, but he could feel the smile she sported through the thin fabric of his shirt.

"Yup," he agreed amiably, entirely content to just sit there in the middle of the park.

Unfortunately, though Ally probably agreed with him, people were staring. "C'mon, Austin, let's get up." She pushed herself out of his arms, and stood up to hold a hand out to Austin. "C'mon," she insisted. Pouting, he took her hand and let her pull him up.

Smiling, Ally laced their fingers together and they started walking, Austin with one hand in Ally's and the other in his pockets, and Ally with one hand in Austin's and the other hanging loosely by her side. Gently, Austin steered them towards a secluded area in the park, where a picnic was set up.

Ally looked up at Austin, surprised. "Wow, you did all of this?"

Austin nodded smugly, expecting a kiss. Instead, Ally shoved him into a tree. "Ow!" he exclaimed, rubbing his head. "What was that for?"

"You were back before today and you didn't tell me!" defended Ally.

"But I did it all for you!"

"So?"

"So it should be okay!"

"Well that's- that's- that's, um, actually a pretty good reason." Ally's brow furrowed after she realized what she had just said. Nodding, she repeated, "That's actually a _really_ good reason. And I'm really happy that you did all this for me, Austin. Thanks." She leaned up to kiss him, quick and feather-soft, then leaned back on her heels thoughtfully. _I guess that's what Trish meant by _don't go too hard on Austin, she thought ruefully. "Sorry," she said quickly, fingers twisting into her hair nervously.

He shrugged, pulling her in for another kiss. "Whatever. I'm here, I'm with you, and... I'm hungry."

She laughed breathlessly. "Glad to see you haven't changed."

**10:30 AM, 3/22/22, in the park**

"Wow, I can't believe you brought creme brulee to a picnic," marveled Ally.

Austin shrugged. "I'm pretty special," he informed her. "Now, eat your creme brulee!" Inside, he was a bundle of nervous, pent-up energy. _Find the ring, find the ring!_ he pleaded to the heavens.

"Austin?" Ally's voice, which sounded strangely neutral, broke through Austin's mental begging.

"Yeah?" He couldn't contain the hopeful tone to his voice.

"Why is there a ring in my creme brulee?" Ally pointed down to her dessert with a look that said _you should know better_. "I mean, it's really unsanitary..."

Oh god. Austin resisted the urge to facepalm. For God's sake, he was trying to propose here! "Ally," he said, his voice carefully controlled. "Will you marry me?" He pushed the words out of his mouth, encouraged by the fact that if he didn't propose soon, Ally would start lecturing him on the benefits of keeping rings out of desserts.

As for the girl in question, Ally just sat there for a second, large doe-eyes blinking slowly. "Um. I- what?"

"Will you marry me?" Austin repeated. _Figures_, he mused. The one girl that doesn't jump up and down and cry at the sound of those four words, and he had to fall in love with her.

Ally seemed to have recovered from her momentary state of shock long enough to ask, "Why?"

Of all the reactions he had expected, _why?_ certainly hadn't been amongst them. "Um... because we're both old enough to marry?"

Ally snorted. "Yeah, we were both old enough to marry a _long_ time ago, Austin."

"Um... did I mention that I'm famous and therefore set for life?"

"So am I. And where did you learn the word therefore?"

"_Ally_. I'm serious. Marry me."

"_Austin_. So am I. Give me one reason why."

"I love you."

"So do I."

Frustrated and desperate, Austin wracked his brain for an answer, and came up with none, so he said the first thing that came to mind. "Because I want you to! Because I don't want anyone else to! Because-"

But his answer was cut off as Ally tackled him to the ground in a hug reminiscent of the greeting she had given him earlier in the morning. Amazingly, they managed to stay lip-locked while tumbling backwards.

"That's one more reason than I needed," Ally whispered.

"Ally Dawon," chuckled Austin. "Does this mean I get to have the pleasure of changing your last name?"

Ally sighed, bringing a finger to her lips contemplatively. "Huh. Yeah, I guess so."

And then they were content to remain still, lying on the soft grass, each content in their own happy-land.

A moment later, Ally spoke again. "Is this what Trish**(3)** meant by _don't go too hard on Austin_?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind, Austin, never mind."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So... not my best. I need prompts, people! Anyways, how'd you guys like Bloggers and Butterflies? It was chock-full of Austin/Ally moments! Of course, I saw it a week ago, since I have Verizon Fios On Demand. **

**(1) A reference to episode 4 of Austin & Ally: Zaliens and Cloud Watchers. (2) In case you didn't get it, Trish and Dez were faking it. (3) This part used to say Raini instead of Trish. The thing is, in another one of my Austin & Ally stories, I write about the actors instead of the characters. It's called Nobody Ever Said It Would Be Easy, and it's one of my (several) upcoming Austin & Ally stories. Check out my profile, under Upcoming Stories, if you're interested. Thanks to xoElle23 for noticing the mistake!**

**SEND ME PROMPTS!**

**~Sabrina**


	6. Bathroom

**Pairing: Austin/Ally**  
><strong>Prompt: Something I read in <span>The Squad: Killer Spirit<span> by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.**  
><strong>Notes: Did you guys know Austin &amp; Ally only has a few weeks of shooting for the first season left? And no one's mentioned anything about Austin &amp; Ally getting picked up for a second season, which we all hope it does...<strong>  
><strong>Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize, and somethings you don't. No copyright infringement intended.<strong>

* * *

><p>"Hold on, I need to go to the bathroom. Back in five or ten," promises Ally, getting up from her seat. Without any type of visible communication, Trish seems to pick up the signals and follows Ally.<p>

"Why do girls always go to the bathroom in packs?" wonders Austin.

Dez shrugs. "Why do they always take so _long_ in the bathroom?" he retorts.

Austin considers it for a second, then nods. "Yeah, I dunno, either."

The two friends sit for a while, sipping milkshakes out of plastic cups.

Five minutes later, Ally returns with Trish. Picking up her purse, Ally says, "Well, I guess we're gonna split up. Austin and I are going back to Sonic Boom to work on a new song, and I think Trish said you guys had something planned?" She motions to Dez and Trish. At seventeen, with all petty disputes aside, the short-tempered manager and the crazy director had finally given in to all the sexual tension and gotten together. Likewise, Austin and Ally had gotten together barely two weeks later- something that everyone saw coming.

"'Kay. Let's meet up for dinner at my place; my mom made quesadillas," offers Trish.

"YES!" crows Austin and Dez, exchanging a handshake and a "What up?"

"Your mom makes the best quesadillas," declares Dez, dropping an arm around Trish's shoulder as they walk away.

"True dat," agrees Austin, pointing to the disappearing figures of Trish and Dez.

Ally just rolls her eyes and links her fingers with Austin's. "Let's go, you big goofball."

* * *

><p>"Ally, can I ask you a question?" asks Austin. They're back at Sonic Boom, and he's just lounging on the couch while Ally has her back to him, facing the wall as she hangs up her coat.<p>

Turning around, Ally rolls her eyes. "You already did," she points out, which prompts Austin to roll _his_ eyes and stand up.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But still, I wanna ask you a _different_ question. Why do girls take so long in the bathroom and why do they go in packs?"

"Well," starts Ally. Austin walks closer, eager to hear her explanation. "Girls go to the bathroom in packs 'cause they just do. I dunno, I guess, sometimes, we need help with our makeup and hair and stuff."

"So then why do they take so long?"

Ally sighs, like _you have so much to learn_. As she opens her mouth to answer, a devious idea comes to her mind and her lips twitch, trying to suppress a smile. "You see, girls take such a long time in the bathroom because they need to fix their hair and makeup, not just use the bathroom like guys do."

"Really. It takes that long to fix your hair and makeup?" Austin's tone is unconvinced.

"Yes, Austin, really."

"And is it worth it?"

"You tell me," replies Ally, then leans in to plant a lingering kiss on his lips. She pulls away a moment later. "Now, was that worth it?"

"You taste like cotton candy," Austin informs her, slightly dazed.

"Well, that's why I take so long in the bathroom. Putting on cotton-candy flavored lipgloss." Ally shrugs. "So? You haven't answered my question yet."

Immediately, Austin pushes her against the wall and kisses her soundly. "Is that a good enough answer?" he asks, after pulling away- much to both his and Ally's displeasure.

Ally grins slyly. "I dunno, I kind of forget. Maybe you could remind me?"

Grinning, Austin lowers his head and nuzzles her. "Maybe I could," he agrees, and she can feel his breath against her neck as he speaks. "Actually, I think that's a very good idea." And with that, he kisses her again, hands coming from her neck to her waist. Her fingers play with the hair at his nape, smiling as she feels his grin against her lips. He tastes like a chocolate milkshake.

When they pull away for much-needed air (you know, that thing you need to survive on...), their breathing is ragged.

Voice pitched slightly lower as an aftereffect of the kiss, Austin murmurs, "Yeah, it's definitely worth it."

"Well then, if you'll excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom."

"Ally!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Just a short little blurb that I had to get out of my system. Visit my profile page and vote! What should my new username be? Polls close next Saturday, January 28th.**


	7. Tickets and Trashbags Remake

**Pairing: Austin/Ally**  
><strong>Prompt: After watching Tickets and Trashbags, episode 6 of Austin &amp; Ally, on On Demand, I got the inspiration to write this little blurb.<strong>  
><strong>Notes: Prompts. Please. I need them.<strong>  
><strong>Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize, and some things you don't. No copyright infringment intended.<strong>

* * *

><p>"If it weren't for your song, I wouldn't even be able to sing with Shiny Money!<strong>(1)<strong>" Austin exclaims, grinning as Ally's face lights up.

"YAY!" She flings her arms around his neck for a second, a little "eep" escaping her as she crashes into his hard chest. Surprised (but pleased), he returns the hug, but it's far too soon before she pulls away.

As soon as she's gone, he groans. "Yay." He'd just agreed to take Trish, Dez, and Ally to the Miami Internet Music Awards, when he only had a ticket for one.

Oh, Lord.

* * *

><p>"Whoa<strong>(1)<strong>," says Dez, upon seeing Ally in her strapless, sweetheart neck-line, short, red/magenta dress.

Ally smiles and tosses her hair over her shoulder, faux-modestly. "Thank you, Dez**(1)**," she says, smiling graciously.

"Oh, no, I'm just dizzy from playing the drums. Whoa**(1)**," repeats Dez.

Ally gives him a strange look, but then Trish enters in a one-shoulder, floral gown that reaches her ankles.

Striking a pose, she asks, "What do you think?**(1)**"

"Did your dress get a job at Megaphone World, because it is loud!**(1)**" Dez bangs his head on the drums for emphasis.

"Wait, why are you all dressed up?**(1)**" asks Ally.

"Because**(1)**," starts Trish, and Dez, Ally, and her spend the next few minutes arguing over who Austin will be taking to the Miami Internet Music Awards, when Austin himself interrupts them.

"I'm not taking any of you**(1)**," he says, hands at his side with a frustrated look on his face. "I'm not taking any of you," he repeats, looking more sure of himself.

"Why not?" Ally steps out from behind Dez's tall, gangly frame and crosses her arms over her chest, annoyed.

Austin does a double take, his eyes widening and his jaw dropping as he took in the sight of Ally, dressed up to the nines, short, strapless dress, heels, and all. "Look," he says, after catching his breath (weird, what did Ally do to him?). "I'm not taking any of you, even though Trish quit her job and got a new one to get a dress so she could go, and even though Dez brought his formal backpack, and even though Ally looks really pretty right now... I'm not taking any of you. I can't. You all deserve to go, but I only have one ticket. I— I just don't know what to do," he confesses, though his eyes are pinned directly on Ally, who he still can't get over.

"Wait. Whoa. Back up a second here. Did you just say that I look really pretty right now?" asks Ally, uncrossing her arms as she tucks a stray piece of hair behind her ear in a gesture that's almost nervous.

Austin nods slowly. "Yeah," he admits, realizing how true it was. "You— you just look amazing," he compliments, and she blushes a color that he enjoys immensely.

"Thanks," she says, offering him a shy smile, blinking bemusedly (really? Austin thought she looked pretty? But she was just average, plain ol' Ally, right?) up at him from underneath her eyelashes.

Nervously, he leans back on the counter, his body a safe distance away from her. He offers her a shy smile as well, his hair falling into his eyes as he inches closer and closer.

"Hey, but what about the ticket—" starts Dez, but is immediately silenced by a hand clapped over his mouth— courtesy of, of course, Trish.

"Don't. Ruin. The moment," she hisses at him, dragging him out the door while muttering, "Time to make our discreet exit— oh, who am I kidding; discreet exit my ass!"

Ally giggles nervously, for lack of anything else to do. Normally the talkative one, who could go into ridiculously long run-on sentences without drawing a breath, she's suddenly quiet, finding new interest in her shoes— pink/magenta suede platforms with red studs, thankyouverymuch.

"Ally?" Austin's the first to break the silence.

"Yeah?" she replies.

Smiling, Austin places himself right in front of her. "Just to let you know, I really do think you look amazing. Like always," he offers a charming, slightly joking smile. "And, honestly? You're kind of amazing yourself."

A simple, but meanginful "Thanks" is all she can manage at this point, when she's shocked and cold— who opened the windows? It was getting chilly.

Austin notices her shivering and wiggles his eyebrows at her conspiratorially. "I could probably help you with that problem," he offers, indicating her arms, which are now covered in goosebumps.

"Yeah?" she challenges, the words nothing but a murmur as he gets closer and closer. A second later, they're close enough to see every little detail about each other, a fact that kind of scares her.

"Mmhm," he mumbles, hooking an arm around her petite waist and drawing her closer until she was flush against him. Slowly, he leans in, giving her ample time to lean away, but she doesn't, and then, they're kissing. Their lips meet in a gentle kiss, and the background noise in Sonic Boom fades away, and they're both feeling whatever crap they're supposed to; fireworks, the angel choir, and all. Her arms hook themselves around his neck, while his arms remain wrapped around her waist.

Sadly, a customer comes up to them, asking for their receipt, which Ally gives them, reaching for the receipt on the counter behind her and handing it to the customer— all while remaining lip-locked with Austin and with her eyes closed.

Without missing a single beat, Austin props her up on the counter and engages her in an open-mouthed kissing session. Oh, teenage hormones. What would we do without 'em?

But apparently they do, in fact, need air, and it's with great reluctance that they pull away with.

"Wow," mumbles Austin, hair mussed and eyes glazed over.

"You look a little dazed," laughs Ally gently, pushing back the hair that fell into his eyes.

"Mm," he agrees, liking the sight of Ally, lips swollen and red, blushing the color of her dress. "And you," he says, bringing her gently down from the counter, "look kissed."

Ally rolled her eyes. "Really?" she says sarcastically, but there's no bite to her words.

"Well, at least you're not cold anymore," retorts Austin. "There's no need to thank me, or anything."

She just laughs and rolls her eyes, tugging insistently on his hand. "C'mon, we have to go to the awards ceremony."

"Not fair!" protests Dez and Trish, suddenly popping out from somewhere.

"What, just because you're together, she gets the ticket? Where's the fairness in that?" complains Dez.

"Wait." says Austin, a smile breaking out on his face. "I've got an idea."

* * *

><p>"Very good, very good. I see that you, Austin Moon, are an awardee for the Miami Internet Music Awards, and that you, Ally Dawson, are his plus-one extra ticket. Very good, very good," repeats the security guard, who would have really fit in more as a British butler in a black-and-white movie. "But," he swivels to face Dez and Trish, who are decked out in full James Bond regalia, "Who are you?"<p>

"Oh, you see, I'm Austin Moon's James Bond-esque bodyguard," explains Dez.

"And I'm that, uh, female friend that James Bond always has," Trish grits out through her teeth, obviously not pleased with being the "female friend". But, if it got them all into the Miami Internet Music Awards...

"Alright, then. I'll be needing your names for when the em-cee announces your names when you walk down the red carpet," replies the security guard, easily buying into their cover story. He pronounced his "em-cee"'s in a very enunciated way.

"Dez," supplies the ginger.

"Trish," says the bushy-haired "female friend."

"Very well, then," says the guard, then sweeps his hand forward to the unhooked velvet rope. "You're free to go."

"Thanks," says Austin, then settles his arm on Ally's waist comfortably as she, too, thanks the guard. Walking in like normal people (they had decided to forgo the "signature style" walks they all had), Austin and Ally lead in front, occasionally stopping for the cameras. Dez and Trish followed after, with Dez's arm wrapped reluctantly around Trish's waist.

"Wow, I can't believe that worked!" exclaims Dez, once they're safely inside the venue.

"Well, it did, and we're all here!" cheers Austin, exchanging high-fives with everyone but Ally. For her, he swoops in and pecks her on the cheek.

"You're sweet," she tells him, returning the kiss with a light one on the lips.

"I'm gonna barf," declares Dez. "Let's go, Trish; leave these two lovebirds alone." And with that, Trish and Dez sweep themselves away.

"I was actually gonna say that you're sweet, but you need to get ready," says Ally dryly.

"One for good luck?" pleads Austin adorably.

"One for good luck," agrees Ally, giving him a long, lingering kiss. As she's kissing him, her clutch drops to the floor, but at the moment she is otherwise occupied, and she can't help but think that she's never going to get tired of this.

And Austin? Well, he can't help but agree.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: (1) These are lines from Tickets and Trashbags, Episode 6 of Austin & Ally, that I paraphrased. Send me prompts. **

**Au revoir,**

**~ Sabrina**

**P.S. Review challenge! One prompt (one or two random words is fine), and also, who knows of the band R5 that Ross Lynch (who plays Austin Moon) is in? It's a family band, and if you haven't heard of them, go check 'em out!**


	8. Cramming and Hug Order

**Pairing: Austin/Ally**  
><strong>Prompt: Hmm, none this time, but I'm always looking for more! Send me prompts.<strong>  
><strong>Notes: Those of you who read This One's For Keeps, 5 is coming out soon; promise. I've just been really swamped with everything. Oh, and also, in this little drabble, Austin and Ally are older— I'd say juniors or seniors, so the material (kisses and stuff) is a little more mature. Nothing too outrageous— no M-rated material.<strong>  
><strong>Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize and some things you don't. No copyright infringement intended.<strong>

* * *

><p><span>Cramming<span>

* * *

><p>"Ally. Allllly. Al-lyyyyyy!" Austin stretched out the familiar name, waiting for its owner to turn around and acknowledge him.<p>

"Hmm?" hummed Ally absent-mindedly, tapping her pencil against her chin thoughtfully as she considered the question in front of her.

"Ally. C'mon, pay attention to me!" demanded Austin, flopping down on her bed. Previously, he had been sitting cross-legged on her music-sheet rug. They were holed up in Ally's room, cramming for finals. Well, Ally was cramming. Austin was trying to get her attention.

"What is it, Austin?" she sighed, turning to him. Gesturing down to the array of paper packets on her bed, she said, "I'm kinda busy right now."

Austin groaned, then sat up straight and pointed accusingly at Ally. "See? You're always busy nowadays. I know you've gotta study for finals, but you don't need to be studying 24/7!" complained the blonde.

"I have not been studying 24/7. I take breaks..." she defended.

"Like?"

"Bathroom breaks... water breaks... breaks for eating..."

"Ally, if you didn't take breaks for all those things, I would have been forced to do something drastic."

Ally simply rolled her eyes and returned to the textbook in her lap. "Later, Austin. I'll talk to you later."

Her words left Austin gaping after her, a look of astonished offense on his face. Almost to himself, he growled, then launched himself up to loop his arms around Ally's waist form behind. "No," he very nearly snarled. Being several inches taller than she was, her head remained at the perfect height to tuck under his chin, and he did so accordingly. So, when he spoke, it was into her ear. "No," he repeated. "I'm not gonna be ignored, Ally, and you're gonna pay attention to me."

Because he had pulled her into his lap so quickly, she was halfway toppled over, so she righted herself in his lap then challenged, "Yeah? And how are you going to make sure that happens?"

Austin's eyes twinkled, and even though she couldn't see his face, she sensed that he was smirking. "I... might have a few ideas," he mumbled in her ear, sweeping her hair away from her neck. Slowly, he pressed one gentle kiss to the nape of her neck, and she could feel the curve of his smile on her neck as her breath hitched. He leaned away from her neck and she breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that she could finally return to cramming. Ah, wishful thinking. Austin only moved them so that she was pressed to the door with his arms caging her in. Instinctively, Ally's arms went to loop themselves around Austin's neck. Then, he asked huskily, "Isn't this so much better than cramming?" And he dived for her lips again.

Flustered and blushing, Ally could only manage to stutter out a faint, "A-Austin..." as he dropped gentle, butterfly kisses down her cheek, trailing down her jaw, and to her neck. Ally's eyelids were already half-lowered, and they fluttered shut as Austin kissed the divit**(1)** in her throat and she gasped. All of a sudden, cramming was forgotten, because Austin was just too damn good. Ally could feel her skin buzzing with anticipation as he worked his way back up to her jaw. Impatiently, she tapped her fingers against the nape of his neck; how long does it take to kiss up to her jaw?

Finally, he made it back up to her jaw, and Ally couldn't drag him to her lips fast enough. He grinne wolfishly against her lips, satisfied at her response to his ministrations. They pulled away when the need for air became unbearable.

Breaths ragged and voice rough, he said conversationally, "Well, I guess it's time to cram!"

"_Austin!_"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: (1) You know how you can follow your collarbone across your neck/chest, and there's this one place in the middle where there's no bone so it feels hollow? Yeah, that's where your divit is.**

* * *

><p><strong>Pairing: AustinAlly**  
><strong>Prompt: After watching Austin &amp; Ally Episode 7: Managers and Meatballs on On Demand quite a while ago, I got the inspiration for this short little drabble.<strong>  
><strong>Notes: So this whole chapter is like a two-for-one 'cause it's two drabbles in one chapter!<strong>  
><strong>Disclaimer: Refer to the one up top.<strong>

* * *

><p><span>Hug Order<span>

* * *

><p>On Team Austin, there are three, sometimes unspoken, but cardinal rules.<p>

_Numero Uno_: Never touch Ally's book. That was spoken quite often, actually...

_Deux_: Never let Dez be alone in a room with a kangaroo, penguin, camel, or any animal. That one was kind of specific.

And THREE: There is a hug order. Follow it.

What's a hug order? It's the order that everybody latches onto the group hugs in. And the hug order goes like this: Austin— opens his arms out for a hug, Ally— loops her arms around her neck and hugs him, Dez— waits for them to hug for a moment, then joins in, and lastly, Trish— with a shrug of, "I guess we're hugging."

Every time they have a group hug, this hug order was followed. And occasionally, some other random person would latch onto the group hug after Trish. Then, with a strange look directed in the random person's direction, they would break up the hug. That's what happened if everyone followed protocol.

But, some rules are meant to be broken.

Especially in the case of February 14th, 2014.

"AUSTIN! I can't believe you'd do that!" shrieks Ally, clipping him over the head with a large bag. "I really liked him!" she cries, throwing her wallet at him. "And YOU scared him away!" A couple bottles of hand sanitizer get launched at his face. "Now I don't have a date for the mall Valentine's Day dance!" Picking up a stapler from god-knows-where, she throws it at the aforementioned blonde, with surprisingly good aim.

He ducks as the stapler whizzes by him (man, where do all these dangerous objects keep coming from?) and apologizes again. "I'm sorry— oh my god!" he yelps, as a toy firetruck (that might have belonged to Nelson five seconds ago) whistles past his head. At last, one of the objects— a tube of lipgloss— hits him, and scared, humiliated, and fed up, he runs away.

Back at Sonic Boom, he contemplates the situation. It wasn't that bad, he tries to reassure himself. After all, he only ruined her date with— _ew_— Dallas because he cared! And he though Ally deserved better than the cell phone accessory cart guy. He still works there, for heaven's sake! How is he going to support Ally with the money he makes from that job?

"Austin." Ally's voice, quiet and controlled, snaps him out of his thoughts.

"Hey, Ally," he says nervously, backing away slowly, arms up and palms facing her. "Don't hurt me!" he squeaks, eyes scanning the music store for heavy objects. Unfortunately for him, there are many of those. "Look, I'm really sorry I ruined your date with Dallas—"

"You what?" Trish comes thundering down the stairs, dragging an unsuspecting ginger with her. Three guesses as to who the ginger is.

"He ruined her date with Dallas? Man, I would've been so mad!" Dez, as tactless as ever. He slaps a hand over his own mouth as Trish's full-force glare is directed at him. "Sorry," he mouths at the bushy-haired brunette.

"Nonono, this is good!" insists Trish. "If he ruined her date, then that means he cares about her! Gabriel or Gabriella might still happen!"

"Andrew or Andrea! I thought we agreed on those for their kids' names!" protests Dez.

"What are you talking about?" asks Ally curiously.

Immediately, the two rearrange their expressions into masks of neutralized civility. "Nothing," trills Trish innocently, folding her arms across her chest. "You were saying?"

"Oh, yeah." Ally turns to Austin, hands on her hips.

"Sorry!" Austin repeats. "I just think you deserve better, y'know? I mean, I only ruined your date because I care!" The words tumbled out of his mouth.

Ally sighs, and uncrosses her arms. Dropping her purse down on the counter, she faces him, an amused, but defeated, look in her eyes. "What _will_ I do with you?" she mumbles, "You're just lucky you're my partner. And it doesn't hurt that you're kind of adorable." She doesn't seem to realize what she has said, and neither does Austin, but Trish and Dez do.

Dez is about to say something- and, subsequently, ruin the moment-, but Trish clamps a hand over his mouth and gives him a look that says, "Say one word and you're going to hell, buddy." Dez's expression is appropriately fearful.

Of course, there's still other drama going on...

"So you forgive me?" Austin's eyes light up with hope.

Rolling her eyes, Ally nods. "Yeah, I guess."

Grinning, Austin opens his arms out for a hug. Ally steps into his arms, looping his arms around her neck- because without the heels she normally has on, he's got five or six inches over her- as she hugs him back. They sway a little on the spot, before Austin locks his arms tighter around Ally's waist.

At this point, Dez feels that he's given them enough time, so he opens his mouth and says, "Group hug!" Fortunately, Trish's hand goes back over his mouth before he can make a sound, and she drags him backwards out the store, glaring daggers at him.

Austin and Ally, too caught up in the moment, never realize the absence of their friends, and instead held onto each other for a while longer. Finally, Austin loosened his arms so he could look at her straight in the eyes. "I'm gonna kiss you," he said seriously.

"Okay," returned Ally simply, and slowly, without any hurry at all, their lips touched. She could feel the curve of his smile against her lips, and couldn't resist the urge to smile against his lips herself.

From outside, a triumphant yell of "HALLELUJAH!" from a ginger and a bushy-haired brunette was issued. Three guesses as to who they are.

But Austin and Ally were entirely too occupied to pay attention to them. Entwined in each other's arms, the moment was picture-perfect.

Maybe Ally did have a date to the mall Valentine's Day dance after all.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Prompts. For ME! One or two words is fine, just random words is fine too, if you're feeling uncreative. This One's For Keeps number 5 is coming out soon! It will be titled 5. Mistaken Identity. **


	9. I Won't Give Up

**Pairing: Austin/Ally**  
><strong>Prompt: <em>shimmeringbubbles<em> requested that I do a story about Austin and Ally post-marriage and with kids. Also, I just listened to Jason Mraz's I Won't Give Up, which gave me the inspiration to write this. If you haven't heard I Won't Give Up yet I suggest you go listen to it right now- it's an AMAZING song. By the way, I'm supposed to be doing my homework right now...**  
><strong>Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize or some things you don't. No copyright infringement.<strong>  
><strong>Notes: For anyone who reads my other Austin &amp; Ally series, <span>This One's For Keeps<span>, the fifth chapter is literally coming out tomorrow. Or something like that. Or maybe even today!**

* * *

><p>"Austin, you need to pick up Brielle and Ben from their soccer practices at 4:30." Ally spoke to the car, the BlueTooth enabling her to speak on the phone while driving without any need for hands.<p>

"I can't." Austin's reply was short and clipped.

"What? What do you mean you can't?" Ally snapped irritably.

"I just can't, okay?" Austin grunted.

"Well, I can't, either!"

"What, so you're just going to leave our six-year-old twins alone by themselves in a freezing cold soccer field?"

"You were supposed to pick them up!... Austin?" _Beeeeep. Angry gasp._ "Bastard hung up on me! Fuck, I have to go pick up the kids." Quickly speed-dialing a number, Ally pleaded, "Trish? Can you please pick up Brielle and Ben from soccer practice? I have an important meeting to go to."

Trish's voice was apologetic. "Sorry, hun, I can't. Dez and I are at our anniversary dinner right now."

"Oh, that's right. Don't worry about it! Have a good anniversary! Maybe I'll finally get a godchild!" joked Ally, but inside, she was fuming.

Trish laughed. "Thanks, Ally. Bye!" _End call_.

* * *

><p>"Alright kids, up to bed you go!" Ally pushed them gently towards their bedrooms.<p>

"G'night, mommy!" The two- one brunette, one blonde- children chorused.

Ally kept her smile on until she heard the front door slam shut. Storming downstairs herself, she slapped Austin.

"Ally?" Austin clutched his cheek and swore. Ally had a hard slap.

"You!" she fumed. "I missed an important meeting today to pick up the kids! All because _you_ couldn't spare the time to pick them up!"

"I was _busy_!" he yelled right back.

"Yeah? Well, so was I! Just because we're famous doesn't mean we can't spare time for our kids! I thought we agreed to this. You're really not putting enough effort into this. This isn't some recording session where you can just record over a messed up track; this is our _family_!" Ally ended her rant breathing heavily. Taking a deep breath, she started up the stairs. "I'm going to bed. You can sleep on the couch," she said stonily.

Austin gaped after her. Running a hand through his hair, he let out a long sigh and collapsed on the couch. "Fuck." he said softly.

Neither Ally nor Austin noticed the two blonde-and-brunette heads poking out of their bedrooms while they fought.

Worriedly, Brielle asked, "Are Mommy and Daddy fighting?"

Ben, always the overprotective older-by-fifteen-minutes brother, answered, "I think so. But you don't need to worry about it."

"But Mommy was talking about our soccer practice! What if..."_-sniffle-_ "What if they get a- a diveorce?"

"It's _divorce_. And they won't. Right?" Ben sounded uncertain.

"I don't know."

"Neither do I."

Wordlessly, the twins embraced, then Ben sent his little sister off to bed, climbing into his promptly after. But that night, the though of divorce lingered heavily on their minds.

* * *

><p>A week later, the fights got worse. Austin was now residing in the den indefinitely. He slept on the couch and bought his meals outside of home. One night, before Ally tucked them in, the kids asked her about divorce.<p>

"Mommy, are you and Daddy getting a divorce?" Brielle asked innocently, ignoring her brother's protest that _no they aren't!_

Ally froze, looking shocked. "N-No, of course not!" She assured her children. At those words, Brielle smiled, relieved, and Ben muttered an _I told you so!_

As Ally closed the door to her own bedroom, she couldn't help but think of her children's words. _Will we?_ she wondered, a little gasp escaping her as she thought of life without Austin. Already, the side of the bed that belonged to Austin felt cold.

That night, she went to sleep with her arms wrapped around herself. But still, she couldn't remake the warmth that Austin always brought. _What are we doing?_

* * *

><p>Two weeks later, Ally packed up a container full of homemade brownies to take to the recording studio Austin was at that day- her version of an apology.<p>

As she pushed open the door to the studio, she heard muffled sounds of a track. She entered another room to find Austin bopping his head along to a new song that he was putting out. The sound was turned up so high Ally could barely hear herself think. Annoyed, she turned the volume down.

Austin turned around, ready to call out the person who had interrupted his jam sesh. He stopped, comically frozen as he saw a container of brownies being held out towards him from Ally.

"Sorry," she said quietly. "About our fighting recently, I mean. You know, the kids actually asked me last night if we were getting a divorce." She laughed nervously. "I told them that was ridiculous." She waited for his response, fidgeting nervously as she did so.

What she didn't expect was a pair of arms around her and lips crushing her own as Austin came to kiss her. As he broke away, there were tears in his eyes.

"Austin! What's wrong?" Ally brushed a tear away with her thumb.

"I'm so sorry about the way I've been recently. It's just, I've been trying to write a song, and it's just so hard that I get so frustrated! I shouldn't have taken it out on you, and definitely not the kids!" he babbled, gesticulating wildly. Finally, he resorted to hugging her. "But the song's done now. It took me so long, though, that's why I couldn't pick up the kids, and-"

"Wait." Ally held up one finger to his lips, effectively silencing him. "You said you finished a song? That you wrote yourself?"

Austin nodded, confused. Where was this going, exactly?

"Well, let me hear it, stupid!" Ally pushed him off to the computer with a giggle. "Play it for me."

"Okay." Austin's reply was uncharacteristically quiet. Ally looked at him with curious eyes as he slipped her a piece of paper as the music played. On the paper, the chords and lyrics to the song were written.

_When I look into your eyes_  
><em>It's like watching the night sky<em>  
><em>Or a beautiful sunrise<em>  
><em>There's so much they hold<em>  
><em>And just like them old stars<em>  
><em>I see that you've come so far<em>  
><em>To be right where you are<em>  
><em>How old is your soul?<em>

_I won't give up on us_  
><em>Even if the skies get rough<em>  
><em>I'm giving you all my love<em>  
><em>I'm still looking up<em>

Austin and Ally started to sing along to the track.

_And when you're needing your space  
><em>_To do some navigating  
><em>_I'll be here patiently waiting  
><em>_To see what you find_

_'Cause even the stars they burn_  
><em>Some even fall to the earth<em>  
><em>We've got a lot to learn<em>  
><em>God knows we're worth it<em>  
><em>No, I won't give up<em>

_I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily_  
><em>I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make<em>  
><em>Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use<em>  
><em>The tools and gifts we got yeah, we got a lot at stake<em>  
><em>And in the end, you're still my friend at least we did intend<em>  
><em>For us to work we didn't break, we didn't burn<em>  
><em>We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in<em>  
><em>I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not<em>  
><em>And who I am<em>

_I won't give up on us_  
><em>Even if the skies get rough<em>  
><em>I'm giving you all my love<em>  
><em>I'm still looking up<em>  
><em>Still looking up.<em>

_I won't give up on us (no I'm not giving up)_  
><em>God knows I'm tough enough (I am tough, I am loved)<em>  
><em>We've got a lot to learn (we're alive, we are loved)<em>  
><em>God knows we're worth it (and we're worth it)<em>

_I won't give up on us_  
><em>Even if the skies get rough<em>  
><em>I'm giving you all my love<em>  
><em>I'm still looking up<em>

At the end, Ally leaped up and kissed Austin, a happy sigh escaping out of her.

"Does this mean I get to move back to the bedroom?"

"Yes, you stupid _boy_!"

"Love you, too."

"Yeah. I know."


	10. Club Owners and Quinceaneras Remake

**Pairing: Austin/Ally**  
><strong>Prompt: I watched episode 8 of Austin &amp; Ally: Club Owners and Quinceaneras. 'Nuff said.<strong>  
><strong>Notes: This episode was just too adorable. Maybe there is hope for an AustinAlly romance on the show... On the other hand, did you guys know that Austin & Ally's first season finished filming in January?i was planning to include that fact in a chapter of some Austin & Ally story a long time ago, but always forgot. Hopefully there'll be a second season... Keep you fingers crossed, and I'll tell you if I find anything out.**  
><strong>Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. I don't own anything you recognize and some things you don't.<strong> 

* * *

><p>"That guy doesn't know what he's missing. You're awesome," promised Austin.<p>

"Thanks." Ally smiled up at him. Slowly, she reached up and brushed a piece of shrimp from his hair. "You've got shrimp in your hair," she informed him.

"Oh yeah, I was eating shrimp from Dez's pants. You wouldn't believe how many shrimp he can fit in those pants!" exclaimed Austin.

"Well, your hair is neck-and-neck with Dez's pants for holding shrimp," remarked Ally, reaching up again to brush the rest of the shrimp from Austin's hair. Her hand remained in his hair, even after all the shrimp was gone. She threaded her fingers through his hair and smiled at him. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Austin. I really appreciate it." She slipped her hand down to his neck and stretched up, pressing a kiss to his cheek. At the last second, he turned his head, so that her lips landed squarely on his.

And that was also when the table got lifted up from above them.

"Austin, c'mon, you gotta go perform!" Dez quickly dragged Austin away.

"Wait— Ally!" But Dez had already dragged him too far away, and with a last glance at Ally (who was stunned, her fingers touching her lips with a look of wonder on her face), he hopped onstage.

Halfway through the intro to the song he was performing, he stopped clapping and saw Dallas, then thought of Ally. As the intro ended, he made up his mind. "You know what— stop. There's only enough time for one song, and I'd rather spend it dancing with the coolest girl in the world; one of my best friends, Ally." He stood up and hopped down the steps and towards Ally. "Ally, will you dance with me?" He held out a hand towards her, a boyishly charming grin on his face.

Blushing, she took his hand and the slow song started. As they danced, Ally said, "Thanks, Austin. This is really sweet of you, but what about Emilio? Oh, here we go, the dip." She twirled into his arms.

"Don't worry, you can trust me." He dipped her, then brought her back up, just as the song ended. To answer her earlier question, he said sweetly, "Emilio doesn't matter. This is more important." And with that, he dipped his head and she, in turn, tilted hers up to recieve his kiss.

This time, their lips met purposefully together. He drew her closer to him, resting his arms on her waist. Her arms curled themselves loosely around his neck as her eyelids fluttered shut. They were so close that he could feel her eyelashes flutter down as she closed her eyes. He grinned happily against her lips, and she smiled back. As they drew apart, they were wearing matching grins of satisfaction.

"So..." Ally started, her nerves kicking in as she thought of what she had just done. "What does this make us now?"

Austin's reply was entirely care-free. "Whatever we want to be. And what I want is to be boyfriend-and-girlfriend."

Her reply was simple as she slipped her hand into his. "Okay."

And then, they walked off into the sunset, hand-in-hand.

Wait. No. Cut!

This isn't a movie.

Austin, of course, had to hop back to his crutches, and then hop back to Ally. Then, they had to all climb into Trish's mom's minivan and announce their relationship, which, of course, sparked exclamations of congratulations ("Finally got the girl, man! Nice."), and shrieks of indignation ("Ally! If I'd known you were going to get together with Austin today, I would have totally kicked Dallas out of my party!").

So, life wasn't perfect. Austin still had his sprained ankle, Dez still had shrimp in his pants, and Trish's presents were all still broken. But, as she leaned her head against Austin's chest, Ally thought that life was about as close to perfect as it could be.


	11. 2 AM

**Pairing: Austin/Ally**  
><strong>Prompt: "Whenever you need me, I'm available."- Paraphrased quote from episode 13 (?) of Austin and Ally: Burglaries and Booby Traps<strong>  
><strong>Note: I'm so sorry for the three-month-long absence! I won't ramble on, but if you'd like to know what's going on, go to my blog (accessible through my profile page, or just type anythingandeverything99 (dot) wordpress (dot) com into the address bar) and read the post under "Please Don't Throw the Tomatoes..."<strong>  
><strong>Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize, blah blah blah. No copyright infringement intended. <strong>

* * *

><p><em>Whenever you need me, I'm available.<em> Austin had told her that a long time ago, and today, Ally needed him to hold that promise.

From the moment she started to talk to him on the phone, he knew something was wrong. "Ally?" he interrupted her rambling (about how she was so sorry she was waking him up in the middle of the night, etc.) gently. "What's wrong?"

And then the floodgate opened and she started to sniffle into the phone. "Owen died."

Austin groaned. He had never really liked that bird anyway (it took Ally's attention away from him, okay? Don't judge...), but he had obviously meant a lot to Ally, so he said, "Do you need me to come over?"

"Yes, please," she replied, and it broke his heart to hear the sound of tissues being pulled repeatedly out of a box.

"Hold on tight; I'll be there in five," he promised, then hung up.

* * *

><p><em>Only for Ally<em>, he thought to himself as he ran to Sonic Boom. It was normally a ten-minute walk, but he could manage to get there in five minutes sprinting, if needed. And tonight, it was definitely needed.

He arrived at the door of Sonic Boom (and the living floors above it) panting, hands on knees and head hung low. After a moment's respite, he straightened up and held his fist up to knock, then decided against it. It was late (2 AM, actually), and he doubted that Ally's father would appreciate The Boyfriend (as Lester had dubbed him) coming over to comfort Ally in the middle of the night, so he ran to the side of the building and did the only thing that came to mind.

He started throwing rocks at her window like some retarded Romeo. "Ally!" he hissed, hoping against hope that she would be able to hear him through the sheet of glass known as a window. He glanced around nervously, hoping that nobody was up at such late an hour, then shouted, "ALLY!"

The window went up and Ally poked her head out. "Austin?" she exclaimed, surprised. "Why didn't you call? I could've opened the door for you!"

"Oh yeah... I forgot my phone at home," admitted Austin sheepishly. He realized that in his worry over Ally, he had completely forgotten all the essentials, i.e. his phone.

Ally shook her head. "Wait down there, I'll come out."

"No, wait! Won't that wake up your dad?" he pointed out.

"Oh yeah..." Ally thought for a second, then added on, "Wait, I'll be back." She returned a moment later with a spool of rope. She threw it down to Austin and he tugged on it, testing its strength.

"Are you sure you can pull me up?" he questioned.

Ally shook her head. "Don't worry, it's attached to the wall." He was left with no time to ponder that, because the distant rumbled of a lone motorcycle passing through the mall sounded out, prompting him to grab onto the rope and start climbing. Briefly, he thought to himself, _First Romeo, now Rapunzel's prince... Wait, why am I comparing myself to fairytale princes?_ He pondered that as he climbed. When he had almost reached the window sill, he thought, _Oh, lightbulb! I'm like Alex Rider!_ With that, he pulled himself into Ally's room.

"Hey," he murmured, walking over to where she sat on the bed. He wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "How are you holding up?"

She didn't say anything, instead burying her head into his shoulder. He held her there for several heartbeats, then asked, "So what's with the rope system?" to take her mind off Owen's death.

He could feel the indentation of her slight smile as she replied, "My dad helped Trish and I build it when we were small. We were putting on Rapunzel: A Play by Ally and Trish, and Trish wanted a rope system so that I could climb up the tower and save her. We just never took it down, I guess." She drew back from his shoulder and smiled at him. "And for good reason, too. Look at how useful it was just now."

He smirked slyly, and when he spoke again, his voice was low and slightly husky. "Think about how useful it will be in midnight _rendezvous_s, Ally. I could totally sneak over here in the middle of the night to sweep you off your feet."

"And risk my dad's wrath? Wow, that's my Prince Charming," replied Ally drily, and just like that, everything was okay.

* * *

><p>Fast forward a couple years and suddenly they were twenty-one- finally legal and ready to party at the success of their co-album featuring both of their voices (Ally's stage fright had been cured a year ago). She should have been out partying, but her day of birth also marked the day of her mother's death. He should have been out partying (his birthday had already passed a month ago), but when she was sobbing by herself, he couldn't very well just go out and get drunk, now could he?<p>

Normally, Ally wouldn't be crying on her birthday- she had learned to not blame herself for her mother's death, and she had gotten over it quite some time ago. But for some reason, her 21st just seemed like such an important date, and the fact that her mother wasn't here and she was broke her heart. So, she cried, and resolved _not_ to call Austin, who really should be out partying- not stuck here comforting her.

It was 2 AM when her resolve shattered.

"Austin?"

"Hey, Ally. I thought you'd call."

"B-But... I don't hear anything in the background. Why aren't you out at a club?"

"'Cause tonight's your night. It's also your mom's night. I figured you might need someone."

"Okay."

"Hang in there; see you in ten."

* * *

><p>Normally, the distance between their apartments (penthouse suites in New York's best, thank you very much) was a twenty-minute walk and a longer drive (downtown traffic sucked), but he made it in ten minutes that night. Feeling rather like a blonde Spiderman, he climbed up the old-fashioned fire escape to Ally's window- coincidentally, the top floor. He gritted his teeth as he raced up the stairs, finally reaching her floor after five minutes. He knocked on her window, and she let him in without a word.<p>

He held her while she cried, and then they watched old movies deep into the night.

When she was almost asleep, he asked softly, "Hey Ally?"

"Hmm?" She shifted in his arms; they were sitting on the couch with her in his lap and him stroking her hair.

"How'd you like to move in together?"

That sure got her awake. "What?"

"Y'know, I just thought it'd be more convenient... I wouldn't have to run ten blocks just to comfort you," he teased, and she smiled into the curve of his neck.

Lifting her head up to answer, she replied, "I'd really like that."

"Good. 'Cause it would put me closer to you, and you know I'm kind of crazy about you," he admitted.

"I'm kinda crazy about you, too."

"Good, I was starting to worry that I was the only one. You don't show me enough love, you know?" he joked. "I mean, you tease me and you occasionally hit me- Hey! That doesn't mean you can hit me now!- but you don't show me enough feminine love and whatnot."

"... Did you just say whatnot?"

"Shut up."

"And... did you just say that I'm not feminine enough?"

"... No."

"Well, that's set, then. As soon as we move in together, I'm covering the entire place in pink, frills, ruffles, and lace. Let's see who's not feminine enough _then_."

"Pink's a manly enough color, but... you're not serious, are you?"

"You can bet your pair of pink boxers that I'm serious."

"My girlfriend teases me about my choice of color in boxers... threatens to decorate our place with girly things... hits me all the time... Be still, my heart."

* * *

><p><em>Five Years Later<em>

Ally held her breath and inched forward, hoping Austin wouldn't notice her slowly creeping towards him.

"Ally, I know you're behind me." His amused tone made her groan.

"This isn't fair!" she complained. "I just wanna see! I don't like surprises..."

"Ally, these are our wedding vows. We're _supposed_ to surprise each other with them. Now leave me alone so I can write nice things about you."

"Ugh... you are so difficult. Oh, lightbulb! I'll put _that_ in our wedding vows!"

"Ally... don't you dare. Or I'll say something really bad about you..."

"So... does that mean you'll show me what you wrote about me?"

"No. Stop trying to find loopholes."

"... Stupid, blonde, singer-of-a-jerk that I'm marrying."

"I can hear you, you know."

* * *

><p><em>One Month Later<em>

When Austin started to recite his vows to her at their wedding, she teared up.

"Hey, Ally. So... I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to do this, but maybe I'll just say whatever comes to my mind. Of course, that didn't always turn out so well... But maybe it did. You see, saying whatever comes to my mind is what brought me to you. We've known each other since we were sixteen, and now we're both rich and famous. But really, all I really want is to see Mr. and Mrs. Moon on the next bill the pickle store sends me- by the way, did you know that we're now on the store's VIP list? It seems that your constant craving of pickles has racked up enough points to be on the list; congratulations. Anyways, I feel like this is the appropriate time to say that we've come a long way, babe, and I hope we can come through a lot more. You're everything I've ever wanted, and sometimes I feel like you're not good enough for me because of how amazing you are. Honestly, I can't imagine my life without you, so when I asked you to spend the rest of your life with me, I knew I was making the right decision. Whether you're waking me at 2 AM to go comfort you, whether you're hitting for being obnoxious, or whether you're threatening to decorate our home with pink ribbons and lace- our home; doesn't that sound nice?-, or whether you're making fun of me, I always find myself falling deeper and deeper in love with you. So, would you care to let me be the one by your side for the rest of your life? Because I promise to love and cherish you. I'll set our dogs on whoever hurts you, or I'll go after them myself, and I'll nurture and protect you. I love you more than you'll ever know, but you have forever to figure out just how much."

"Oh my god..." breathed Ally, sniffling a little. Gently, she shoved him. Turning to their audience, she joked, "He's making me look bad, that jerk." Turning back to him, she smiled tenderly. "Well, now I don't want to recite the vows I wrote for _you_, 'cause you just raised the bar about a hundred thousand feet up. I guess I'll just make it up as I go along." She took a deep breath and started to speak. "You turned my world upside down from the moment you stepped into my music store, obnoxiously drumming with corn dogs- which I still find disgusting, by the way. When I first met you, I thought you were a weirdo with a strange ginger friend." In the front row, Dez laughed. "After we'd worked with each other for a year, my best friend told me you were attractive, and not just in the physical way." Again in the front row, Trish laughed. "She said that you were really sweet, and also that you were crazy about me. I didn't believe her, 'cause I thought, _No way. Austin Moon can't be interested in me._ Little old Ally Dawson? How could I compare to the thousands of fangirls you had attracted by then? They were all blonde, beautiful, and a lot of them even had brains. Why would you ever want to go out with mousy, nerdy, music-dork brunette Ally? But then you took me out on our first date, and the way you looked at me that night told me everything I needed to know. In your eyes, I was all that existed, and you told me that repeatedly when I grew insecure. You told me I was confident, beautiful, amazing, and that I could do anything. Don't you dare say you're not god enough for me, when it's really the other way around. I'm insecure, I'm shy, and I'm obnoxiously clean and might have a mild case of OCD." She shrugged. "For reasons I have the rest of forever to figure out, you stuck with me, even when I made you come over to comfort me at 2 AM. When you asked me to marry you, I already knew in my heart what I was going to say. You're everything anyone could ever want, but most importantly, you're everything _I_ want. I want to spend forever and a day with you, so let's get married." The audience laughed at her choice of the words, and the officiate continued with the ceremony.

When he said, "You may kiss the bride," Austin lifted her clear off her feet and swung her around, kissing her.

"Hey, guess what?" he whispered.

"What?"

"It's 2 AM."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, clarification. They wanted their wedding to happen at night- and by night, I mean 2 AM. It may seem a little strange, but I think it's sweet to think that all their family and friends were willing to come so late for their wedding. Also, I don't really know the official procedures for a wedding, so...**

**~ Sabrina**

**P.S. IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ! This new Image Manager thing is tripping me up, 'cause I don't know what to put as the "cover" for OOO. Send me some ideas, mm'kay?**


	12. She's Back

**Pairing: Austin/Ally**  
><strong>Prompt: One of my favorite pieces on FictionPress is called <span>I Think Barbie Would Have Confetti<span>, by _pinkamoo_, and after I saw Diners and Daters, I was like "Niener niener, this would be perfect!" So this oneshot is modeled kind of like I Think Barbie Would Have Confetti.**  
><strong>Notes: I really do advise that you read my Author's Notes, they're pretty useful. Anyways, since it's now summer, I'm going to have more time to write, so that's a plus for me and my readers!<br>Diclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize and some things you do. No copyright infringement intended. Copyright 2012 LostAmongTheStars**

* * *

><p>She's back. Of course she's back. I let out an un-lady-like snort. Good ol' Cassidy is back, and Austin is, obviously, chasing after her. It's only been a year, so I suppose his short attention-span hasn't kicked in yet, although he didn't even hold back on other girls until she came back.<p>

The color green. Damn it, I hate that color. I see it everywhere, now. In the way they swing their hands together, the way he kisses her sweetly and she blushes. I hate how whenever he misses a practice session with me, I think of her and green floods my vision again.

I'm one of his _best_ friends. And, for a while now, I've wanted to be more. But, since Cassidy is back, I guess the position of girlfriend is filled up. I have nothing against the girl- she's charming (like _Austin_ level charming), she's witty, she's not awkward at all, she's effing gorgeous, and she's an amazing musician who isn't afraid of going on stage and singing her heart out. Notice how everything _she_ is, _I'm_ not. Well, that last part? The stage fright part? I'm getting more comfortable with getting up on stage. Believe it or not, I've sang a few duets with Austin, and I played my first show (sold-out, can you believe it?) last week. But I'm not like her. I'll never be as good as her.

So, how am I to compare? Well, easy. I don't. I just stand behind the Sonic Boom register, smile and nod at customers, and pretend not to notice how they're playing piano together- a cute little variation on the Heart and Soul piano duet. They're playing our piano- ours as in Austin and mine. Well, looks like it's Austin and _Cassidy's_ now.

I said I have nothing against her. Except for the fact that she has what I've wanted for so long: that stupid, blonde (oh, that's right, she calls him "blondie". The only creative nickname I can come up for Austin is... Austin. Yeah, someone up there must really hate me...), weasel of a singer Austin.

Oh great, now they're playing Break Down the Walls. And singing it together. Like Austin and I did. Jesus, I thought that song was special for us! I let out a snort again, _Yeah, right, Dawson_. Then I think of how Cassidy would never do anything unattractive like snort. And if she did, Austin would probably think it's cute.

Um, yeah, totally not jealous at all here...

But as much as I want Austin to be mine and Cassidy to be in LA, I want Austin to be happy even more. Dear god, maybe I'm a masochist. That's the only explanation I can come up with for hurting myself so bad to see him be happy with _her_. Or, maybe, I know deep in my heart that we're not meant to be, and that's why I never told him about the way I feel about him.

Oh, the life of Ally Dawson.

"Hey, Ally, can you do me a favor?" asks Austin, not even looking at me because Cassidy's ruffling up his hair again.

"Sure, what do you need?" I grit out.

"Can you book me and Cassidy a table for two tonight at Rosario?" He doesn't swat at her hands like he does to me when I touch him.

I swallow the lump in my throat and reply, "Sure."

"Thanks, Alls. Love you!" He leaves with Cassidy on his back, laughing as he gives her a piggy-back ride.

I close my eyes tightly. _Love you_, he says. But not in the way that I want him to. Sighing, I pick up the phone, ready to call Rosario. I can't believe he's ready to take her to that restaurant already. It's crazy expensive, but it's also crazy romantic. I hate to think about what he has planned, so I call the restaurant and make reservations for my best friend (who I happen to be head-over-heels for) and his girlfriend.

Friend-zoned again. Lucky me, I'm already at Friend Zone Level 101.

* * *

><p>The next morning Trish comes over and we go out to shop, thankfully giving me an excuse to leave Austin and Cassidy's sickeningly sweet picnic up in the practice room. Oh sure, Austin, go right ahead and have a romantic picnic in the place where I spend all my time. And then lock me out. Cool, bro, cool.<p>

"I'm sorry, hon," comforts Trish on the way out. "I'll buy you a Pinkberry?" she offers.

I grin weakly. "Sure." She knows how I feel about Austin, and now that Cassidy's back, she knows how frustrating it is. Fortunately for her, her own love life is going pretty well. After two years of constant fighting and arguing, she and Dez are in a steady relationship. Seems like everyone on Team Austin _but_ me is in a relationship... Pshaw, what you talkin' about? I'm in a relationship with music, man! ... Ally Dawson, you are _the_ lamest person on this planet.

"So, I was thinking, after we get you an outfit for the party, we can go out and get decorations, and then after that we can..." Trish chatters on and I smile and nod at all the right moments.

It's my 18th birthday, and I'm throwing a party. Don't look at me like that; after I met Austin I came out of my shell. You're looking at a girl who's in the popular crowd at school... It also helps that Austin and Dez don't go to my school. If they did, they would be in the popular crowd and would embarrass me to no end. Please, guys, I already have Trish for that.

Anyways, we're getting decorations today. Austin is, of course, the night's entertainment, and the party is to be held at Sonic Boom. Dad's promised he won't be at the store that night, so long as it's all cleaned up by the next day. Thank you, mysterious lady that Dad met on the Internet. Yup, Dad's dating online. Weird, but I think it might be good for him to get out a little...

With only a week or so until the party, I've clicked into control-freak mode as I always do when I'm apprehensive. Unfortunately, that means more stress for everyone around me. Except for Austin. That kid is an exception to _any_ rule, honestly.

"Ally? Don't give up on me now, girl!" Trish snaps her fingers in front of my face and I'm pulled out of my thoughts.

Sheepishly, I smile. "Sorry, Trish. I was just... thinking."

Her eyes harden. "You were thinking about Austin and Cassidy again, weren't you?" At my guilty nod, she lets out an angry sigh. "Ally, why did you have to pick _him_ to fall for?"

"Oh honey, if I could pick, I would have never even met him," I fire back, channeling some Trish into my attitude, but we all know that's not true. Austin... I want to say he's the best thing that's ever happened to me, but I'm afraid that's too cheesy. Plus, Trish would be offended, and everyone knows the golden rule: Don't offend Trish.

Trish just rolled her eyes and sighed again, but this time determinedly. "Alright," she says, sliding on her sunglasses, "We're going to find you a drop-dead gorgeous outfit- because I know you don't do sexy-" At this, I have to laugh. She grins and continues on. "Anyways, we're going to find you a kick-ass outfit and you're going to wear it at the party, and he's going to see what he's missing out on."

Don't you just love Trish?

* * *

><p>It's been a week, and I haven't seen Austin during that whole time. I guess he found somewhere else to host his romantic picnics with Cassidy...<p>

I miss him, but I've also got my pride. He wants to cuddle with his girlfriend? Then I'll go as far as to bring them their effing blankets and a movie, yo!

... So I'm not so good at coming up with funny things to say. Shoot me.

"Allyyyyyy! Look what I found!" sing-songs Trish, waltzing into the practice room. She holds up a magazine with a sparkle in her eye. "Remember how we tried to find you a drop-dead gorgeous outfit and we couldn't?"

I nodded grimly, who could forget _that_ disaster?

Trish seems to know what I'm thinking about, because she flaps a hand in the air and goes, "No, this is much better. _This_ is what we've been looking for the whole time. And guess what? They have it in your size. I ordered it and it'll be here just in time for the party on Friday." She shows me the magazine page and all I can think is, if heaven is as pretty as this dress, I'll gladly sacrifice my time on Earth. Anything to get rid of the disgusting Austin-and-Cassidy-sitting-in-a-tree-K-I-S-S-I-N-G images that are running through my head right now.

And somehow, he manages to pop up in my thoughts again. Seriously, someone please throw a stapler or something at my head.

* * *

><p>Friday swings around, finally, and my dress arrives. Dear lord, I'm afraid it's prettier than I am.<p>

"Trish, you know I love you and all, but this dress... It's going to outshine me!" I whine.

Trish raises her eyebrows. "Is that a challenge?" She snorts. "Honey, after I'm done with you, not even the _sun_ is going to outshine you."

"Oh, I'm not worried about the sun so much as Cassidy," I grumble.

Trish pauses, in the middle of hanging my dress up. "You _invited_ her?"

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Go up to her and say, 'Sorry, you're not invited because you're dating my best friend who I also happen to be crazy about'?" I fall back onto my bed, frustrated.

Trish gives me an incredulous look. "Well, _yeah_!"

"She's his girlfriend; he would've been devastated if I didn't invite her and then consequently gave off the feeling that I don't like her," I say, but maybe I just wanted to torture myself more by seeing how beautiful she'll look decked out in party wear.

"You have to stop worrying about hurting him; he obviously wasn't thinking about you when he asked Cassidy out," argues Trish.

The sad thing is, I have nothing to say to that, because it's probably true.

Before I go on to feel sorry about myself (pity parties happen way too often at the Dawson residence), Trish pulls me off my bed, eyes blazing. "You're going to look gorgeous tonight. You're going to party like there's no tomorrow. You're going to feel amazing, and Austin's going to see what he's missing out on. And if he doesn't, then that's his loss." She finally smiles at me. "Now, c'mon, birthday girl. We've only got so long until the party; let's turn you from cute, classy Ally Dawson to hot, ready-to-party Ally Dawson."

"What, so I can't be hot _and_ classy at the same time?"

"Hahahah NO. 'Course not."

* * *

><p>Five minutes before the party starts, I'm standing in front of the full-length mirror in my room, smoothing down my dress and breathing deeply. Today I have on four-inch silver heels, which means I won't look like such a dwarf next to Austin. Of course, Cassidy is the perfect height for him. Feel my pain, people.<p>

Without meaning to, my hand wraps itself around a black velvet box tied with a pink ribbon sitting on my bureau. I open the box and sigh at the earrings inside. They're 24k gold music notes, given to me by Austin on my 17th birthday. I don't want to wear them tonight and be reminded of him even more, but truth be told, they're my favorite pair of earrings.

My self-control's never been so good, so I slip the earrings on anyway and hope Austin doesn't notice I'm wearing them.

I get a text from Trish, who's waiting to let people in at the door. _Ready?_

_Ready._

* * *

><p>I come down the staircase, everyone cheers, and every dream I've had of being a princess feels like it's being fulfilled. They shout, "Happy birthday!" and "You look gorgeous!" and "We love you!", but honestly, I'm just looking for Austin. I'm waiting for him to jump out of whatever hiding spot he's conjured up this year and engulf me in a bear hug, then whisper in my ear, "Happy birthday to the coolest girl in the world," but he doesn't.<p>

I scan the crowd, distractedly nodding and smiling as people congratulate me on the "big one-eight" (Dez's words, not mine). I don't see Austin anywhere...

It takes a while, but I find Trish and ask her, "Have you seen Austin?"

She shakes her head, then shoves a microphone into my hands. "You have to get the party started!"

Rolling my eyes, I nod and bring the microphone to my lips. "Thanks for coming, everyone! I'm not gonna talk long 'cause we've got a great DJ and the dance floor is set up, so go crazy!" I finish my short speech by pumping my fist in the air, beaming as the crowd cheers and floods the dance floor.

But where is Austin?

* * *

><p>Two hours later, the party is still in full swing, but there's no Austin in sight and there hasn't been for two hours. By now I am pissed. He's supposed to be here, cheering with all my friends when I blow out the candles on my cake. By <em>now<em>, Trish is beyond angry and even _Dez_ is irritated. Yes, I'm pissed, but I'm still hoping there's a rational reason why he's not at my party.

Suddenly my phone buzzes. Quickly, I check the text. Then, I feel like screaming and crying and maybe throwing something, all at the same time.

Trish sees the look on my face and hurries over, Dez in tow. "What's wrong?" She asks, concerned.

Wordlessly, I pass over the phone.

_To: Ally_  
><em>From: Austin <em>

_sry mite b l8 took cassidy 2 that pond u like so much_

Trish gasped, and Dez looked like he was ready to punch Austin's face in or something. Although, now that I think about it, that wouldn't be too bad...

"He took Cassidy to the pond? _Your_ pond?" When I nod, Trish laughs disbelievingly.

"I thought that place was both of yours' special place," Dez blurts out, tactless as always.

I can't blame him, though, because it's not his fault. Instead, I laugh bitterly. "So did I." I chance a look at Trish, who looks like she's afraid to tell me something, so I tell her to spit it out.

"Austin's supposed to perform right now, but he's not here and everyone's ready for a performance, so what do you want to do?" asks Trish gently.

I grit my teeth and answer, "I'll do it."

* * *

><p>A minute later I'm on stage, sitting on a stool with my guitar in hand and a microphone in front of me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Austin arrive with Cassidy. I can only see the top of their heads over the crowd of people in front of me, but I can tell it's them. I would be able to identify that bleach-blonde hair anywhere.<p>

"Ally!" Austin calls, and the crowd, which had been silently waiting for me to start performing, turns to him. "I'm here, I can perform!" he exclaims, grinning like he's delivering a present to me by showing up two hours late.

I've always been such a push-over when it comes to him, but not this time. So, I smile sweetly and say clearly into the microphone, "Oh no, that's okay, Austin. Since you couldn't be bothered to show up on time, you shouldn't have to be bothered to perform, either." I can't help but feel triumphant at his confused, hurt look. But of course, since I'm Ally Dawson, I start to feel guilty right away, so I start singing to push the guilt down.

"_He looks at me_  
><em>I fake a smile so he won't see<em>  
><em>That I want and I'm needing<em>  
><em>Everything that we should be<em>

_I'll bet she's beautiful_  
><em>That girl he talks about<em>  
><em>And she's got everything that I have to live without<em>

_He talks to me, I laugh 'cause it's just so funny_  
><em>That I can't even see<em>

_Anyone when he's with me_  
><em>He says he's so in love, he's finally got it right,<em>  
><em>I wonder if he knows he's all I think about at night<em>

_He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar_  
><em>The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star<em>  
><em>He's the song in the car<em>  
><em>I keep singing, don't know why I do...<em>" I keep my eyes focused on a spot on the wall across from me as I sing, knowing that if I make eye contact with Austin (who surely must be staring/gaping at me right now), I'll break. Because this song is about him, and as dense as he is, he might just get it.

"_He walks by me_  
><em>Can he tell that I can't breathe?<em>  
><em>And there he goes, so perfectly,<em>  
><em>The kind of flawless I wish I could be<em>

_She better hold him tight_  
><em>Give him all her love<em>  
><em>Look in those beautiful eyes and know she's lucky 'cause<em>

_He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar_  
><em>The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star<em>  
><em>He's the song in the car<em>  
><em>I keep singing, don't know why I do<em>

_So I drive home alone, as I turn out the light_  
><em>I'll put his picture down and maybe<em>  
><em>Get some sleep tonight<em>

_He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar_  
><em>The only one who's got enough of me to break my heart<em>  
><em>He's the song in the car I keep singing, don't know why I do<em>  
><em>He's the time taken up, but there's never enough<em>  
><em>And he's all that I need to fall into.<em>

_He looks at me, I fake a smile so he won't see..._" I finish, and for a moment there's nothing but silence. Then, the crowd break out into applause and cheers. There's only one person I'm looking at, though, and it's Austin. His face is blank, but I think he knows.

Oh god, he knows. Stupid, stupid, _stupid_ Ally! How could I perform this song _while_ he was watching? God, if you're there, one of those random holes in the ground would be quite useful right about... now. Wait, what's that? Is he pushing his way through the crowd to get to me now? Oh, no. Nonononono, I hate confrontation. Um... oh, lightbulb! Cake, candles, and speech!

I scramble to my feet and bring the microphone to my lips. "Hey guys, we're gonna bring out the cake now. While they're getting that ready, I have a speech for you, so bear with me..."

Two minutes later, the cake has been rolled out and I'm just wrapping up my speech. "... and lastly, I want to thank Nelson for being such a sweet kid." Even though Nelson's not here. Whatever, I needed someone to fill in the place where Austin _used_ to be in my speech. He arrived two hours late on my birthday, has been ignoring me for the past week, and has friend-zoned me about a million times. Girl please, there is no way he's going to be my _appreciation_ speech.

Cameras are being pulled out as I get ready to blow the candles. Everyone sings Happy Birthday, and at the end, I blow out all my candles. I beam as a million camera flashes blind me, but somehow, I'm still able to see Austin's betrayed look.

* * *

><p>Five minutes later I'm being congratulated all over again. Austin hasn't shown up to talk to me yet, but I don't care. Let him be that way. <em>I'm<em> the one who should be mad, not him.

"Ally!" Oh. It's Cassidy.

Forcing a smile, I prepare myself to be out-shined and turn around. "Cassidy- wow..." I'm speechless. She is wearing the _exact_ same red, high-low dress. I repeat, it's the same exact dress, down to every ruffle and beaded detail... except it looks better on her. Of course. I just can't catch a break today, can I? "You have great fashion sense," I choke out.

Cassidy smiles shyly, and I think that I probably look constipated when I do that. "Thanks, you too. Looks better on you than me," she laughs, and I can't bring myself to dislike her as a person, because she's so nice and sincere.

"Well, I have to get going. Places to be, people to see, you know, all that." I smile politely at her then leave. I should feel guilty for leaving so abruptly like that, but it just gives her more time with Austin, so y'know... In a way, I'm helping her!

People are urging me to open presents now, so I get back on my stool and start the ritual of gift wrapping paper ripping, tissue paper throwing, and ribbon littering. Oh, and present opening, but wrecking people's hard wrapping job is half the fun...

* * *

><p>An hour and a half later, everyone's gone except for me, Dez, and Trish. I'm pretty sure Austin and his girlfriend are somewhere in the place, but I sure as hell am not going to go looking for them.<p>

(Un)fortunately, I don't have to. Austin finds me. Oh, dear, this is when the confrontation starts, isn't it?

"So, uh, I guess you left out some people from your appreciation speech." Austin has the audacity to glare at me, and I shrug coolly back.

"Yeah, it was getting a little lengthy, so I had to cut out a few people... Oh well." But it's not _oh well_, and he knows it. He helped me write the effing speech, and he knows there was a large portion dedicated to him. Notice the past tense.

Austin gives me this angry look that I can't help but get angry about right back at him. "You mentioned Nelson. You had the time to mention _Nelson_, but not me?"

I shrug again, sitting down on a laid-back chair. "Nope, sorry bud. I haven't seen you around in a while, so I guess I forgot to put you in there... Kinda like how you forgot I existed for the past week, huh?"

"Bullshit. Bullshit, Ally, can we please cut through the bullshit?" Austin brings his hands down on the arms of my chair and his face hovers above mine, looking considerably more anguished than mine.

"What bullshit?" I ask, and Austin looks torn between telling me what bullshit we're talking about, and yelping from hearing me swear.

"That song. That was for me, wasn't it?" He looks me straight in the eye and I can't look away or lie to him.

"Yes." It's quiet, but I'm sure he heard it.

He exhales slowly. "Do you like me?" He demands a second later. "Is that why you've been so jealous?"

"What- I haven't been jealous!" I splutter indignantly, but really I'm thinking, _How did he know?_

"Don't even pull that denial thing with me, Ally Marie Dawson," he warns, but I'm not ready to give in yet.

"Oh, are we pulling out middle names now? Okay, two can play at this game, Austin Monica Moon," I shoot back at him.

He shakes his head, probably frustrated to no end with me. "That's not what I meant, and you know it. I want to know whether you like me or not."

I scoff. "So what do you mean? I just can't tell anymore. I mean, we're best friends, aren't we? So explain to me, why are you ignoring me, why are you taking Cassidy to our special places, and why did you show up at my birthday party two hours late? Two minutes is normal, but two _hours_?"

He shakes his head again, his hands tightening on the arms of my chair. "Will you stop answering questions with questions? Ally Dawson, are you in love with me?"

"A second ago we were on like, now we've progressed to love?" When his glare turns murderous, I roll my eyes. "Okay, fine, I'll answer the stupid question. Do I like you? You're one of my best friends, nothing more. Please, has Cassidy massaged that hair and that head of yours so much that you can't think straight anymore?" When did I get so good at lying? Oh, that's right, when I fell for my best friend.

Probably at the end of his rope, Austin grabs one of my hands and shoves it into his hair so hard I think he broke one of my nails. "Is this what you're so jealous of? Cassidy touching my hair? Go right on, touch it, mess it up, tease me about it, whatever. I don't care. Do whatever you want to my hair; does that make you happy?" He finishes his rant in a big huff while all I can do is blink at him.

"I think you broke one of my nails," I say finally.

He throws his head back, groaning. Then he bends down to my level and gently brings my chin up with one finger. "I don't care about your broken nail," he says fiercely. "I mean, I do care if you get hurt. I care _too much_, and that's the problem." He gets very quiet and I think, _Shit just hit the fan, man_. "I'm going to say something now, and it's something I should have said when I realized it." He looks me dead in the eyes and I think he has heat vision or something 'cause the temperature just went up a few degrees. "Your mind's wandering again, Ally," he chuckles and I blush. Why does he know me so well? "Focus, Alls. I am crazy about. I'm in love with you. I fell for you. I am head-over-heels for you. How many different ways do I have to say it before you get it?" He laughs breathlessly at my stunned expression; am I going into shock? "I- you're amazing. You're absolutely gorgeous, but the thing is, you don't even realize it. You think you're worse than everyone else and that you're not pretty enough, not good enough, but in reality? You're more than enough."

I just kind of stare at him for a few moments. Then, "W-What about Cassidy?" Damn you, Stutter, I thought you and I bid a mutual farewell in eighth grade!

Austin shakes his head. "Just a distraction. I mean, I liked her at first. Then, she left and I started noticing all the little things about you. Somewhere between her leaving and Christmas that year, I fell for you. And I fell hard. I know I forgot about Cassidy when she left, but you... I stayed away from you for just a week, and the separation already drove me crazy. I couldn't stop thinking about you, so I towed Cassidy along to all your favorite spots."

I speak my next words very carefully, in a controlled voice. "So you mean we could have been making out two years ago?" I'm kinda shocked that I suggested for the two of us to make out, but I'm even angrier that this little confession didn't happen sooner.

Austin, of course, is lost as to where I'm going with this spiel. So, just to wake him up, I slap him. Then, while he's in shock, I run up to the practice room, intending to slam the door after me. Stupid Austin, why couldn't you confess earlier? I'm _so_ going to be an unreasonable teenager and not forgive him.

Of course, my intentions are just that- intentions, because as soon as I reach the practice room door, I'm shoved in and the door is closed by Austin pressing me up against it. Well, now the door is closed. Just like I wanted it, except not really because I'm pressed up against it. Yeah, this doorknob is totally not slicing into my butt right now...

"Got ya," he whispers, his breath fanning out over my face, we're that close. Uh, hello, you're stealing my air right now.

"I am furious at you," I tell him, but at the same time, his touch leaves me all tingly and warm, so I'm kinda in a daze right now...

He rolls his eyes. "God, I can't stand you. But, I also happen to be in love with you," he admits, and I snort.

"Yeah, well guess what buddy? I've been in love with you for a year now, and you haven't done a single thing about it until now." I try to glare at him, but the effect is ruined when he bumps his forehead against him, sighing.

"I'm sorry," he whispers. "But now, since we've both admitted to being crazy in love with each other, can we please skip to the part where we make out?"

"I'm not a cheerleader," I warn him, "I'm extremely awkward. I can't do sexy or hot, because I can only go as far as cute and classy. I'm nowhere near perfect, plus I'm never going to be Cassidy."

Austin shakes his head, exasperated. "Don't you think I know that? I know everything about you, and I love you for you. I don't want Cassidy, I want _you_." And then his head surges forward, his lips meet mine, and I think something just exploded nearby because I am seeing stars and fireworks and all sorts of pretty things. I'm pretty sure Trish and Dez and whistling and cheering right now, but I'm too preoccupied to care. Austin's hands tighten around my waist, mine go around his neck, and I'm in bliss.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: A shout-out to my new Twitter friends! That's right, I'm on Twitter now. You can find me at SingDanceWrite. Anyways, apparently my stories are getting publicity on Twitter and Tumblr, and I couldn't be happier. Thanks so much, everyone!**

**Again, that's at SingDanceWrite - My Twitter.**

**As always, check out my Wordpress and subscribe to my blog if you've got a Wordpress account!**

**My FanFic username has changed to LostAmongTheStars, because that's the one that got the most votes on my profile.**

**I hope I didn't write Ally as too clingy and annoying or OOC... Thanks to my Twitter friends for helping me to find the dress; much love! It's a La Femme LF-15087p dress in Watermelon (a bright red color that's got a hot pink tint to it), in case you were wondering. Search it up in Google Images!**

**This is also going out as an individual oneshot, titled She's Back.**

_**Oooh, you know that new Image Manager thing where you can have a cover page for you stories? I'm going to have a competition. Anyone who wants to can make me a cover page for this story, and the winner will get to be featured in an upcoming chapter!**_

**~ Sabrina**


	13. Twitter

**Pairing: Ross/Laura**  
><strong>Prompt: Twitter. 'Nuff said.<strong>  
><strong>Notes: This story is set when Ross and Laura are already in a relationship. Check out my Wordpress; new updating info on there. By the way, Ross and his siblings have always been home-schooled, so they've never been to a quote-unquote real school.<strong>  
><strong>Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize, and some things you don't. No copyright infringement intended. Copyright 2012 LostAmongTheStars<strong>

* * *

><p>Laura was standing innocently at her locker (at her real school) when a pair of warm arms circled around her waist. She stiffened, ready to kick whoever it was in the crotch, then relaxed as Ross laughed.<p>

"Calm down, it's just me!" He let go of her to turn her around so that they faced each other.

Laura scoffed. "Who said I wasn't calm?"

Ross's eyebrows climbed. "Right. You totally weren't thinking about kicking me in the crotch."

She opened her mouth to try and bluff her way out of it, then decided against it. Instead, she warned him, "You shouldn't be at my _public high school_ right now, Ross. There's tons of crazy Rossians here."

"Rossians?" His expression was one of _Dafuq is that?_

"Yeah, that's what Twitter's calling fans that are specifically fans of you and only you. C'mon, Ross, catch up." She grinned as he made a face.

"So... Does that mean that when that bell rings in five minutes, hordes of girls- and maybe even boys, I don't hate- will be coming to maul me?" Ross cocked his head in a kind of bewildered way. "Don't schools have security guards or something to prevent that?"

Laura laughed, gathering her books. "Your knowledge of public schools is severely lacking, blondie." She gave him an expectant look. "Now, are you going to be a gentleman and offer to help carry my books?"

His eyebrows shot higher, and he scoffed. "Please, who said _I_ had to be the knight in shining armor? Womens' rights and all that, right?" He grinned when she deadpanned at him. Slinging an arm around her shoulder casually, he took her books and bent down to whisper in her ear, "I might be requiring payment in the form of kisses for carrying these books."

Distractedly, she looked over her shoulder just as the bell rang. "Save the make-out session for later, the bell just rang." She winced as murmurs of, _Is that Ross Lynch?_ went through the crowd of students flooding through the doors, and then shrieks of, _Oh my gosh, it _is_ Ross Lynch!_ started up.

Ross turned to her, bug-eyed. "What do we do now?" he asked, panicking.

Laura gave him a once-over. "How fast can you run?" Then started running towards the yellow car parked at the curb.

"Oh please, I can go faster than that!" he exclaimed, sprinting after her. Passing her, he grinned, giving her a thumbs-up, "I think I'm winning!" He reached the car and opened the door just as she jumped in. "I know I won," he amended, grinning.

Laura shot him a Look. "Not the time, Ross! Get in the car, unless you want me to drive?"

At that, he paled. "Nonono, that's quite alright, Laura. I'll drive." He jumped in and started up the car, speeding away from the school.

"I have to give you points for opening the door for me, though. And coming to surprise me at school was pretty sweet," admitted Laura, once the school was out of sight.

Ross shrugged faux-modestly. "I do try." He glanced over at her as she scrolled down on her iPhone. "Whatcha looking at?"

Laura giggled. "My Twitter mentions. And yours, actually, you forgot to log out the last time you were on my phone. Hey, Ross, some fans are wondering if you and I celebrate Hump Day Wednesdays?"

He burst out laughing. "I feel like we should reply saying, 'Yes. Definitely yes.' but then Disney might have our heads, plus it's not even true, so... Any other crazy questions?"

"Here's one that _I've_ been dying to know... Do you bleach your hair?" she asked, reaching up to card her fingers through his hair. "I mean, it's so soft, yet it's probably chemically treated..."

He gave her a look that was part I-think-you're-strange, part fondness, and all but-I-love-you-anyways. "Actually, I do bleach it. A little."

Laura frowned. "Don't. It's bad for your hair, and you'd probably look good with any hair color."

Ross grinned. "Was that a compliment?" he taunted.

"No," she scoffed. "Okay, maybe. Yes. Yes, it was, but don't let it get to your head."

He laughed, pulling into the driveway of the Lynch residence. "We're here." He turned the car off, but made no move to get out. For a moment, he just stared at Laura, a soft smile curving his lips. He ruffled her hair and leaned over to kiss the top of her head. "Y'know, I'm kinda crazy about you," he mused.

Laura looked up from her phone, blushing. "What brought _this_ up?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I just... I guess, I think I'm lucky to have you, that's all."

Her expression was wondrous. "That... that's really sweet, Ross. I- I'm kinda crazy about you, too." She was leaning to kiss him when somebody rapped on the glass of her window.

Rydel was standing outside, a knowing look on her face. She made a gesture of, _Come on in!_ at them.

Ross groaned, letting his head fall back onto the headrest, then opening his door and saying ruefully, "Guess we have to go in."

Laura laughed, opening her door and stepping out. "Don't worry, I still owe you for carrying my books."

Ross's eyes widened. "That's right!" He pretended to be smooth and suave. "I'll see you later, then, babe?" He gave her a mock-cool nod.

She only laughed again, following Rydel inside the house. "Sure, hotshot!" she called, still laughing as she entered the kitchen.

Rydel let Laura past her while she waited at the doorway. "C'mon, my lovesick baby bro!" she called, and reluctantly, he went in.

"Rydellll, you really ruined a great moment there," he complained.

"Sorry, I don't think Mom appreciates hormonal teenagers making out on her driveway, but when she does, I'll let you know," she replied sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes and entered the kitchen, coming to where Laura was seated, having some GoGurt. He made a face at her choice of a snack. "What's so great about GoGurt anyways?" he grumbled, sitting down next to her.

"Remember that time you went to Vegas for Teen Beach Musical?" At his nod, she continued. "Well, I tweeted about missing you or something, and someone tweeted back saying something along the lines of, 'Who needs Ross when you have GoGurt?' I didn't reply back, but I remember thinking, 'That's so true!'" She grinned at his disgruntled expression. "Just kidding." He grinned, and she turned away to mutter underneath her breath, "Kinda."

"Hey! I heard that!" he said indignantly.

"Heeey, baby bro." Rocky launched a football at Ross's head. He nodded to Laura. "Hey, baby bro's girlfriend."

Ross deadpanned. "Baby bro's girlfriend has a name."

Riker came in and smirked, having caught the tail end of their conversation. "Is it 'the love of my life'? 'Cause that's what you were saying in your sleep..."

Ross stood up, indignant all over again. "I do not talk in my sleep!"

Ryland walked in, Ratliff in tow. "Yeah, you do," they both chorused.

"Laura! Do I talk in my sleep?" He turned to his girlfriend for support. Laura thumbs-ed him up, using her GoGurt as an excuse not to answer the question. Ross deadpanned again. "You're done with your GoGurt. Now, do I talk in my sleep or not?"

Laura smiled sheepishly. "A little... But it's cute! I swear, it's really cute..." She trailed off at his dismayed expression.

"Well, Laura thinks it's cute; that's a bonus," offered Ratliff.

"There we go, silver lining!" Riker pointed at Ratliff. "How good is this guy, huh?" Ross only threw the football at his brother's head. Riker laughed, catching it easily. "C'mon, let's go play some football! You can show off for Laura," he added, when he saw the unenthusiastic expression on Ross's face.

Ross rolled his eyes, dropping a quick kiss to Laura's cheek. "Bye, Laur. See ya in half an hour."

"Don't worry, I'll keep her busy." Rydel smiled innocently when Ross narrowed his eyes at her. There was something in her eyes that he didn't like...

"Rydel, if you permanently scar my girlfriend, I'm throwing away all your Hello Kitty things," warned Ross.

Rydel rolled her eyes and shoved him out the door. "Please, the two of us have been best friends for like two or three years; if she had to be scarred, she would have been years ago!" she called after him. Turning to Laura, she rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "Baby pictures?"

Laura nodded, a devilish glint to her eyes. "_Yes_."

* * *

><p>Fifteen minutes later, Laura was cocking her head to the side confusedly as she tried to figure out a picture of Ross at age 9. "His hair..." Laura trailed off, her expression saying, <em>Dafuq?<em>

Rydel hovered over her shoulder, crinkling her nose at the picture. "Yeah, I don't know what he was doing with his hair. Actually, I think we must have bought like fifteen bottles of hair gel for him that year."

Laura laughed. "I gotta say, the spiky look on 9-year-old Ross is not something I expected... Can we keep this one out?"

"Oh, don't you worry, we've got plenty more where that came from!"

* * *

><p>When Ross came in, he found Laura with Rydel in the living room, flipping through old photo albums. He joined them on the couch, flinging an arm around her shoulder. "Whatcha looking at?" he asked, peering at the pictures.<p>

"You, where you were younger." Laura smirked. "Here, look at this one." She passed him the picture of the 9-year-old him.

Ross's eyebrows shot up. "What was I doing with my hair?"

Rydel snorted. "Trying to look cool."

"Hey! I probably looked _very_ cool... probably." Ross made a face. "Okay, fine, I look stupid."

Laura had returned to her phone, but now she looked up at Ross, amused. "Did you know there's a Twitter account dedicated to us getting together?"

He nodded. "Oh yeah, I replied to that account once! It was a while ago, and I probably amused myself for a while thinking about what would happen if I just went out and told them we were dating. You know, before Disney actually gave us the green light to go ahead and announce it."

She gave him an amused look. "Very cool, Ross, very cool."

"I'm a rebel without a cause." He grinned at her.

Next to her, Rydel snorted. "Yeah, right. Mom still dresses you sometimes."

"Rydel, can you please leave?" cried Ross, exasperated.

"Nope."

"I really love this family," sighed Laura, relaxing back into Ross's chest.

"And a member of our family really loves you." Rydel winked, not-so-subtly jerking her head towards Ross.

"_Rydellllll_!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry guys; had to get this out of my system. It's really just a total crack fic. **


	14. Spider

**Pairing: Austin/Ally**  
><strong>Prompt: Rauraholic on Twitter was talking about Austin and Ally's potential reactions to spiders, so... here it is! By the way, she's <em>sprinkleofgold<em> here on FanFiction.**  
><strong>Notes: My Twitter username has changed to yours_sabrina. By the way, arachnophobia is the fear of spiders, if you didn't know.<strong>  
><strong>Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize and some things you don't. No copyright infringement intended.<strong>

**Copyright 2012 LostAmongTheStars**

* * *

><p>There had always been one thing Austin and Ally were both scared of: spiders. Of course, Austin "wasn't scared at all", he was just "trying to make sure Ally wasn't embarrassed by her fear of spiders." So, in order to appease that fear, he "pretended to have arachnophobia." On the other hand, Ally wasn't shy about it at all and declared to the whole world that she was "deathly terrified of spiders" at a press conference announcing her first album years ago.<p>

Now at the age of 24, Austin and Ally had gotten over the whole stage-fright business and were famously successful. They were also hopelessly in love, and set to be married in four months.

One day, while Austin was staying over at her place, Ally asked him to look for a place to live with her.

His eyes widened and he said, "Like, for us? To live in together? After we get married?"

Ally rolled her eyes. "Yes, Austin. Like, for us. To live in together. After we get married." But she couldn't stay deadpanned for long, because every time she said, "married", or anything to do with marriage, she would start to smile uncontrollably.

At the mention of "married" and her answer to his questions, Austin turned starry-eyed. Without warning, he wrapped an arm around Ally, holding her tight. His voice was gruff when he said, "We're going to live in a beautiful home together, have gorgeous children, and we'll live the dream, while visiting Dez and Trish's crazy puffy-haired children on the weekends. I promise you that, Ally Dawson, and that's why I'm marrying you."

Ally smiled, but after a moment she tilted her head up and asked, "Really? You're marrying me so we can visit some children that look like Merida**(1)**?"

Austin laughed, kissing the top of her head. "I love you, Ally," he murmured.

She smiled and blushed, staring at the ground. Suddenly, she went bug-eyed and started flailing in Austin's arms, screaming silently in her panic.

"What? What?" Austin looked around wildly.

Ally found her voice and pointed. "S-sp-spider!" she shrieked.

"AHHH SPIDER!" Austin screamed, standing on the couch with Ally in his arms.

For a second, Ally just stared at him. "You scream like a girl," she informed him.

"Ally! I think we have bigger problems right now!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, right." Ally turned her attention back on the spider and started to flail again. "AUSTIN THROW IT OUT THROW IT OUT!"

"NARGASJKGFL BUT IT'S A SPIDER!" he protested.

Ally stopped spasming and glared at him. "Do you want me to die from a spider just months before our wedding? DO YOU?"

"No, but..." Austin whimpered.

"You're the guy here!" exclaimed Ally, frustrated.

"Okay, fine. But you owe me everlasting love," he grumbled. Stepping gingerly down from the couch, he took a magazine from the coffee table and coaxed the spider on it, wincing the whole time."

"Psh, everlasting love is what we're guaranteeing each other at the wedding," scoffed Ally. "Right now, I'm only giving you a ten-year warranty on my love." She laughed silently at her own wit while Austin scrambled to throw the spider (and the magazine) out the window. He made it back to Ally with shaking hands.

"I did it, I got rid of the spider, so kiss me," he grumbled.

Ally grinned, hopping down from the couch to kiss him. "Where's my magazine?" she asked a moment later, pulling back for air.

"I threw it out with the spider," he mumbled ducking low to kiss her again.

However, she held his face from hers with a hand and a, "What? You threw out my magazine?"

Austin rolled his eyes. "C'mon, I just saved you from a spider, are we seriously going to talk about this now?"

"Well... I guess not." And she grinned and leaned in to kiss him.

A few seconds later, he pulled back, panting slightly. "No, but seriously, I just threw out a spider and I almost touched it. I'm about ready to go take one of those showers where you lay in fetal position fully clothed while the water beats down on you and washes away your pain."

"That was... strangely poetic." Ally shook her head, looping her arms around his neck. "Here, I'll distract you..."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And the rest of this program is rated PG-13... xP**

**(1) Look her up (Merida from Brave), she looks like a cross between Dez and Trish.**


	15. Stay With Me Part 1

**Pairing: Austin/Ally**  
><strong>Prompt: VannyBooBU (the backup account for VannyBoo) and WeAdoreRaura on Twitter were talking about this idea and they asked me to write it. By the way, VannyBooBU is <em>TheLavenderHippie<em> here on FanFiction; go check her out!**  
><strong>Notes: Well, in the case of ATGL, I'm onto 2,800+ words. I always aim for 4,000+ on multi-chaps, so I'll probably update it by the end of the week. By the way, on the show, Ally's mom, Penny, is very much alive and well- she's a zoologist currently overseas in the Amazon Jungle or somewhere like that.<strong>  
><strong>Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. I don't own anything you recognize, and some things you do.<strong>

**Copyright 2012 LostAmongTheStars**

* * *

><p><em>MAYDAY. MAYDAY. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. MAYDAY.<em> Panicked thoughts swirled about in Ally's mind. There were two million things to get done, and only two short hours to get everything done. On top of that, her date with Dallas was today. Suffice to say, she was in a high-strung state of mind.

_Think, Ally, think!_ she told herself fiercly. _What _needs_ to get done, and what can wait? Damn it, _everything_ needs to get done!_ The situation had to be very, very bad for Ally Dawson to swear.

And the situation was bad. Oh, it was _bad_. She had a book report due tomorrow on a book she had yet to read, the rest of Sonic Boom's inventory to organize (which was the reason why she couldn't read her book), a song for Austin she had to write by tomorrow, Nelson to teach piano to, and, of course, _a date with Dallas._

And no one was providing much help. Trish was off somewhere with Dez (Ally remembered hearing something about "teaching that idiot how to shop for _wearable_ clothes- Dez, the stuff you wear right now makes me want to fork my eyes out"), her dad was fumbling with the laundry machine (damn it, she had to do the laundry. Once her dad was finished, of course. She couldn't bear to tell him just how awful he was at doing laundry, so she always waited for him to do it, then re-did it a second time.), and Austin was nowhere to be found. _Probably moping about Cassidy_, she thought to herself. The dirty-blonde waitress had left town barely a week ago, and at times, Austin could be found staring wistfully at the spot Cassidy used to stand at behind the counter at the Melody Diner.

_Poor guy_, Ally sympathized. _I don't know _what_ I'd do if Dallas left town._ Which reminded her again of how much there was to do before 7PM. She sighed, thrusting a hand into her hair. _Might as well give Nelson his piano lesson right now. And maybe while he plays- or, tries to make me want to rip out my eardrums-, I can read my book. _The snappish-ness of her thoughts made her go on an unwanted trip to Guiltland, population: Ally.

"Nelson, how about you try doing those scales we practiced last time?" she asked, smiling tightly at the curly-haired boy.

"Okay!" He nodded happily and started to play. Ally picked up her book and started reading, wincing as Nelson played. The noise- she wouldn't call it music, not while she was in this frame of mind,- coming from the piano was horrendous enough that she couldn't concentrate on her book, and instead started contemplating the practicalities of stuffing pages of her book into her ears to block out Nelson's playing.

Half an hour later, Nelson left and Ally went to do the laundry, reading as she did so. Unfortunately, her mind kept straying to her date with Dallas and what she should wear. _The pink dress with the black collar I have is pretty_, she thought, _but would Dallas think I look too frumpy in it?_ She shook her head, setting the book down and moving the wet clothes into the dryer. Her eyes softened as they fell onto the very dress she had been thinking of. That dress... She had made it with her mother when she was 13. They made it just a little bigger than Ally was at the time, and now it fit perfectly.

Thinking of her mother reminded her of the one thing she had tried so very hard not to think about today: the anniversary of her mother's death. Honestly, she shouldn't even be doing anything except mourning on this day, but Penny's dying wish was for Ally to have a somewhat normal life, complete with love and romance. She didn't want her only daughter to remember her as a weak, dying woman one day each year, she wanted to be remembered every day as she was: vibrant and full of life.

Ally shook her head, sniffling a little. _Stop it_, she told herself sternly. _Pull it together, Alls, you've got a date tonight._ At that thought, she cracked a watery smile. She knew what she was going to wear now.

* * *

><p>An hour later she was still frantically reading as she got ready for her date. Thoughts were running around wildly in her head, like how she still hadn't finished categorizing Sonic Boom's inventory, and how she hadn't even started writing that song for Austin, and how she thought (hoped) Dallas would react when he saw her, and how her stomach... was feeling not so great.<p>

Finishing the last sentence, she set the book down with a satisfied sigh of relief. Now all she had to do for the book report was actually type it up. Looked like it was going to be an all-nighter. After her date with Dallas, of course. She grinned (ignoring the sharp pain in her stomach) as she kept repeating it in her head, _date with Dallas, date with Dallas, date with Dallas_. She couldn't actually believe she was going on a freakin' _date with Dallas_.

But, as excited as she was, she knew that the churning in her stomach had nothing to do with the butterflies that seeing Dallas came along with. "I think I'm going to be sick," she moaned, falling back onto her bed. Then, she picked up the phone and dialed.

* * *

><p>"ALLY ARE YOU OKAY," exclaimed Austin in one breath, barging into her room, where she lay curled up on her bed in fetal position, fifteen minutes later.<p>

"No," she groaned. "My stomach feels awful."

"Are you nervous about seeing Dallas?" he asked, cautiously climbing onto and sitting down on her bed.

"Partly. Also, I think I ate some bad sushi. I should've known not to eat anything Trish made," she grumbled.

"I- I can go stall Dallas, if you want." Austin fidgeted uncomfortably. "I mean, I guess."

"Just ask him if we can reschedule," replied Ally. "Ugh, I feel like I'm dying. Stupid periods."

Austin's eyebrows shot up. "Oh... it's that time of month, huh...?" He looked distinctly green.

"And I still have so much to do," Ally went on, ignoring the subtle disgusted face Austin was pulling. "I have to categorize the inventory, I have to write your song, I have to write a book report, and I can't do any of that while I'm sick!" She let out a frustrated sigh, then groaned again. "Austin, will you go get me a hot water bottle or something for my stomach?" she whimpered slightly.

Austin nodded quickly, just glad to have a task that didn't involve talking about Ally's menstrual cycles.

While he was gone, Ally stared at the ceiling, hashing out her thoughts. "Hi, Ms. Pennyworth," she said quietly. "How are you doing today? I'm not doing so well. As you know, it's Mom's death anniversary today. I know she never wanted me to mark her death each year, but I can't help it. Every time this day comes around, I can't do anything else. I mean, I still have so much to do because I couldn't concentrate." She sighed. "And now I'm missing my date with Dallas. But you know what? It's okay. I... I just want this day to be about Mom. And, besides, if Austin did his job right, I should have another first date with Dallas soon."

Austin stood in the doorway (where he had been since Ally started talking to Ms. Pennyworth), smiling gently as Ally rambled on to her imaginary friend. "I didn't today was the anniversary of your mother's death," he said quietly.

Ally looked up, her startled eyes meeting his. "Austin! How long have you been standing there?"

"Since you started talking to Ms. Pennyworth," he replied truthfully, climbing onto her bed and handing her the hot water bottle. She set it on her stomach with a relieved sigh. "Better?" he asked.

She nodded. "Are you going to make fun of Ms. Pennyworth now or...?"

"No!" he exclaimed, taken aback. "Of course not! Ms. Pennyworth is somethi- some_one_, I guess, who's important to you. I would never make fun of her, or you, like that. Besides, you have your embarrassing secrets, I have mine." He shrugged. "Whatever. Everyone has little secrets here and there. I'm just here to... Actually, why _am_ I here?"

Ally shrugged. "I was feeling awful and you were the first one I had on speed-dial. Oh, and you were supposed to get a raincheck for me on that date."

Austin's eyes widened. "Oops," slipped out of his mouth quietly, but she heard it.

"Austin! You didn't tell him I'm sick! Now he's going to think I stood him up!" she wailed, pounding her little fists against his chest. "You are a horrible person!" she huffed.

He caught her wrists. "Hey, stop that!" Looking serious, he continued on. "I- I think I'm ready to tell you something that I've kept hidden for a while. Y'know, one of my embarrassing secrets."

Ally stopped fighting against him and raised her eyebrows. "Um, okay. But we are talking about the Dallas issue later!"

"Actually, Dallas is kind of a part of it... Anyways." He took a deep breath and pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, unfolding it. He started to read, his hands trembling. "I don't want to be best friends anymore. I want to be more than that. I want to be able to see you on the street and say, 'Hey, that's my girlfriend. Isn't she amazing?' I want to be able to hold you when you're scared, kiss your tears away when you're sad, and sing about how I just wanna be with you, like in High School Musical 3. I hate it when I have to stand by and watch you flirt with Dallas, or see how nervous and fluttery you are around him. Can't I be that person? Can't I be the one you light up at once you see them? I want to be that person. I didn't think I would feel this way about you, ever, but now I know that I like you. I could even fall in love with you." He finished, then folded up the piece of paper again, sticking it into his pocket. He held up a hand as Ally opened her mouth.

"Wait. Let me finish. I didn't tell Dallas to re-schedule a date with you because I don't want you to go on _any_ dates with him. Stay with me, instead. Go on dates with me, kiss me, hug me, laugh with me, sing to me. I mean, I wrote you a freaking soliloquy, so, please. Give me a chance."

"A-Austin, I... I don't know what to say," Ally said finally.

"You don't have to say anything. Just... I'll wait, okay? I'll wait until you're ready. For now... stay with me. Just for tonight. I know you've got a lot to do, but stay with me tonight. We can watch a chick flick, whatever. I don't care. Don't worry about tomorrow's mess. Don't think about your book report or my song or Dallas or anything. Stay. Please." He turned sincere eyes on her.

"Okay," she said quietly. "I'll stay."

He breathed a sigh of relief, then hesitantly went to her, wrapping his arms around her. "So... I'm guessing things are going to be really awkward now?" he asked, staring up at the ceiling, his tone inevitable.

She shook her head. "I don't know. But you told me not to worry about tomorrow's mess, so I guess I won't." She was silent for a moment, then turned her head up to look at him. "As long as we're revealing secrets, I've got one to tell you. Ms. Pennyworth... well, my mom was always in a jungle on the other side of the world when I was little, so I didn't really have anyone to talk to. Then, after she died, I _really_ didn't have anyone to talk to. So... I made up Ms. Pennyworth. I-If I keep as much of Mom as I can with me, I feel like she's still here. Ms. Pennyworth is the closest I've got to a mother figure, even if she's imaginary." She fiddled with her fingers, looking back down. "Do you think it's childish?" she asked, looking so vulnerable and lost that for a second Austin thought his heart had stopped.

"No," he replied simply, eyes tender as he rubbed circles into her arm with his thumb. "Not at all."

They were both quiet for a while, then he sighed. "When tomorrow swings around... promise me you won't shut me out of your life because of what happened tonight, okay?"

She yawned, snuggling deeper into his chest. "Okay," she agreed sleepily. A moment later, her eyes fluttered closed.

Austin could only smile gently and pull the covers up, sighing once again. What would happen tomorrow... he didn't know. For now, with Ally safe asleep in his arms, he was content.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wow... that turned out a lot different that what I expected. I don't know what to think...**

**Anyways, who wants a sequel one-shot to this? Kind of like a morning-after thing? Drop me a review and tell me what you think!**

**~Sabrina**


	16. Stay With Me Part 2

**Pairing: Austin/Ally**  
><strong>Prompt: This is a follow-up to Stay With Me Part 1. <strong>  
><strong>Notes: TWITTER USERNAME HAS CHANGED TO from_sabrina. Also, check out my Wordpress! Updates and more are under the new post, "Username Change (again) and Thank God for On Demand. <strong>  
><strong>Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. I don't own anything you recognize and some things you don't. <strong>

**Copyright 2012 LostAmongTheStars **

* * *

><p>Light filtered in through the musical notes curtains of Ally's bedroom, shafts of it illuminating the petite brunette songwriter and her blonde partner curled up together in bed.<p>

The light hit his eyes and Austin groaned softly, rubbing at his eyes and yawning. He blinked sleepily at the sight of Ally curled up into a little ball, curls splayed out on either side of her head. His brain faintly registered the fact that just moments ago he had his arms wrapped around her waist.

In a rush, all of last night's events came back to him. He had to resist the urge to run and pretend like it never happened; it was his trademark defense mechanism and it was compelling him to utilize it.

But then Ally woke up. She uncurled from her little ball, stretching and yawning as she sleepily rubbed at her eyes. She blinked at Austin, a hazy smile gracing her features."Hey, Austin," she greeted.

Austin winced. She must have forgotten last night's events, which meant she would be very confused as to why he was in her bed in 3... 2... 1...

"AUSTIN MONICA MOON, WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY BED?" she shrieked/yelled shrilly.

"Shh! You're going to wake up your dad, and I do not need that to be added onto my list of problems," reprimanded Austin.

"He left for a Socks-With-Sandals convention last night." Ally shook her head, momentarily distracted. "But that is not the point here! I was supposed to have a date with Dallas last night and now you're in my bed?!" She slid off the bed and began to pace, panicking. "Oh my god, did we sleep together last night?"

"Yes— well, no! Not in that way!" Austin hurriedly amended after she started to freak out.

"Are you serious am I pregnant oh my gosh I don't want to be 16 and pregnant like on that TV show oh no Austin what are we going to do—"

"Hey!" He cut her off. "Take a breath and punctuate, Ally. We didn't sleep with each other last night. Not in that way." A blush creeped up on his neck and he scratched the back of his head nervously. "Ahem." He cleared his throat perfunctorily. "Anyways, do you remember anything about last night?"

Ally nodded slowly. "I remember being sick and you coming over to help me... Then I remember asking you to cancel the date with Dallas and me talking to Ms. Pennyworth because I was anxious... but beyond that, I don't remember much." She cocked her head to one side. "Although, for some reason, I do remember telling you the back-story to Ms. Pennyworth..."

Austin blew out a sigh of what, he didn't know. A mixute of relief (thanks God she forgot) and disappointment (damn it, I'm never going to work up the courage to tell her again— besides, the first time I wrote her a freakin' siloqouy), maybe? "Well, it was nothing important anyway," he reassured her, a faintly guilty smile curving his lips. Yes, he was going to avoid the subject and run away; so what?

Ally raised her eyebrows. "I still want to know why you're _in my bed_."

"You were sick and I guess me being with you helped you fall asleep," he explained. It wasn't entirely untruthful...

"Oh... okay then. Thanks." She smiled hesitantly, not sure where to take it from there.

"Well, why don't you get dressed and I'll make us breakfast?" offered Austin.

She nodded happily, then remembered something and frowned. "Hey, you need to wash up! Don't be shy; there are extra toothbrushes in the bathroom cupboard," she insisted. "There's also an extra comb in there," she added on with a giggle as she ruffled up his bedhead hair even more.

He rolled his eyes good-naturedly at her, hoppping off her bed and heading to the bathroom, with her right behind him.

Luckily, there were two sinks, so none of them had to wait for the other. Standing there and brushing their teeth in perfect sync, they looked rather like a married couple, especially if you counted in Ally insisting on brushing Austin's hair after.

They even acted like a married couple, too, since Austin made pancakes for them and Ally made scrambled eggs once they reached the kitchen.

"So, are you sure nothing important happened last night?" asked Ally once they sat down to eat.

Austin shook his head quickly; too quickly. "Nope, nope, not a single thing at all!" He smiled nervously.

"Okay..." Ally's tone was clearly disbelieving, but he thought he'd let that slide for now.

"So, did you finish that song yet?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.

She brightened up at once. "Yeah, and I'm really feeling this one, Austin! I have it on my phone; I can play it for you later if you want," she offered.

He nodded, finishing his last bite of eggs. "Ready to go?" he asked, offering her his hand charmingly.

She laughed at his cheesiness but took his hand, letting him lead her to his car.

"You have all your stuff?" she asked, eyebrows raised at his backpack sitting neatly in the passenger seat.

He nodded, pulling out of the driveway. "When you called me last night you sounded like you were in pretty bad condition, so I figured I was probably staying the night. I came prepared."

Her eyes were tender when she said, "Thank you. Again." Sighing happily, she added, "I don't know what I'd do without you. I love you, y'know?"

"Yeah. I know. Love you, too." But you don't love me in the way that I love you, he thought. His response had been weak, and she picked up on it, but decided not to say anything.

They spent the rest of the ride to school in a contemplative but companionable silence, Ally wondering why Austin was behaving strangely and Austin wondering which heavenly being was trying to torture him.

* * *

><p>It happened while Austin was on his way to English.<p>

He was just casually making his way towards his next class, pausing occasionally to greet his friends, when a petite brunette ball of energy flew at him.

"Austin!" exclaimed Ally, almost knocking him over with the force of her flying tackle/hug.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Austin held them both steady. "What's up?" he asked, laughing.

"Is it true?" she demanded. "Is it true, what you told me last night?" she expanded when his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

At this, his eyes widened in realization and panic. "Um... You remembered?"

She nodded quickly. "So? Is it true?"

He turned frozen and silent, unresponsive. "Uh..."

She searched his eyes for the answer; windows to the soul and all that. She gasped at what she found. "It _is_ true!" She stumbled back a bit, which broke his heart a little. "Y- You love me?" She shook her head frantically and started backing up before he could answer. "Oh, Austin! You _can't_ love me!"

"Wait!" He reached out for her, trying to grab onto her wrist, but she slipped out of his grasp, running away before he could say anything.

* * *

><p>When Dez got a text from Austin at lunch telling him to meet him at the elementary school playground, he knew something was wrong. And boy, was he right.<p>

He found Austin sitting atop the monkey bars, looking like everything had been sucked out of him. Indeed, when the usually happy-go-lucky blonde greeted his best friend, his tone was empty and unfeeling. "Hi," he said quietly.

"Hey," returned Dez, climbing up and sitting next to him. "I brought you a fluff sandwich with no crusts; your favorite." He offered Austin a saran-wrapped sandwich, who took it with a murmur of thanks. Dez took out his own jelly-only sandwich made of only crusts and ate it quietly. He wasn't the type to ask questions; he would rather wait until everybody's sorted out their own thoughts and then talk it through with them.

"Have you ever had a relationship fall apart just because you couldn't keep your mouth shut about something you were feeling?" asked Austin after a while.

"Nope," replied Dez, popping the "p". "But I don't have many relationships, friendly or otherwise," he pointed out.

Austin nodded. "I guess you really don't, although I don't see why. You're an awesome person."

Dez smiled slightly at the compliment. "You told her, didn't you?" he asked, cutting straight to the point.

Austin nodded miserably, dropping his head into his hands. He didn't even have to ask what his friend was talking about. "I did," he affirmed, groaning. "I told her last night when she was sick and asleep, then when she woke up in the morning she didn't remember a thing about my confession. So, me being me, I let it go and pretended like it never happened. Then, she remembered and confronted me about it today, before English. I tried to tell her how I would wait and how I didn't want to ruin our partnership or our friendship, but she ran away." He looked back up, helpless. "Dez, what do I do?"

Dez closed his eyes then opened them slowly, and Austin knew that this would be one of the moments where his best friend would say a long string of sentences that actually made sense. "You're one of her best friends, Austin," he finally said. "She has to like you back or get over it. Either way, I know you two won't be breaking up from your friendship or partnership any time soon. You need each other." Finishing his sandwich, he started to climb down from the monkey bars. Reaching the bottom, he said, "You've already done everything you can. Now it's all up to her." He started to walk away, then threw a, "Don't be late to History," over his shoulder.

A smile finally graced Austin's features. "Thanks, Dez," he said quietly, knowing his friend wouldn't hear it, but also knowing that Dez would get the message anyways.

* * *

><p>A knock sounded at Ally's bedroom door later that day, after school.<p>

"Can I come in?" asked Trish, gently opening the door anyway. "Oh, _Ally_," she said sympathetically, falling onto her friend and hugging her. "Are you okay, sweetie?" she asked, inflecting a matronly/protective best friend tone.

Ally shook her head, sniffling. "I don't know what to think, Trish!"

Trish nodded, stroking her hair gently. "Dez told me what happened. While I can't say I'm surprised that Austin likes you, I am surprised that you don't like him hack." She paused for a moment, then dived in. "Do you?"

Ally groaned. "I don't know. I don't know, maybe. But Trish, just a day ago I was still all giddy over Dallas!"

Trish raised her eyebrows. "Giddy? Define giddy."

"I was excited and nervous and happy all at once, and my hands were fluttering. Fluttering, Trish; if that's not the definition of giddy then I don't know what is." Ally sighed. "But Austin... I told him about Ms. Pennyworth and my mom and everything."

"And that's not something you'd tell just anyone," added Trish. "Although I may have told Dez."

"What?" Ally tried to sit up straight. "You told who and the what when where?"

"Oops... but that's not the point here, Ally!"

Ally narrowed her eyes at her best friend, but let it slide. "What _is_ the point, then?" she asked tiredly.

"The point is, how do you feel about Austin? Does he get you excited and nervous and happy all at once? Does he make you want to flutter? Would you trust him with anything and everything?"

She thought over it for a long time. "Yes, yes, and... yes," she finally replied. "And more. He's an amazing guy; any girl would be lucky to have him. But... I don't know if he's the right guy for me."

Trish threw her hands up in the air. "Who cares if it's right? Ally, I'm going to tell you now that guys like Austin Moon or Dez or whatever— I did not just say that; do not hold it against me— don't come along every day. I know he said he'd wait, but everyone has a limit. You shouldn't be looking for Mr. Right, you should be looking for whoever makes you feel complete. Now, I know you're good at riddles, so riddle me this, Ally: If you'd be okay with seeing him together with some other girl, then drop it and go back to being best friends again. If not, go tell him and kiss the hell out of that blonde head of his."

Ally took a moment to digest this, then nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Trish. For everything." She smiled sincerely, then added, "But I just need some time to think."

"Don't think," advised Trish. "You do too much of that already; don't ruin your relationship with Austin by using your brain and not your heart." With this, she got off of Ally's bed and was headed out of the door when she dropped one last piece of wisdom. "You've got two choices, Ally. I think Dez laid them out best when he was telling me about yours and Austin's little situation; you either like him back, or you get over it and go back to being partners and best friends. Either way, your partnership and friendship will have to stay intact, because you need other, probably more than any of us could imagine." And she left, closing the door quietly behind her.

* * *

><p>It took a week of "thinking time" for Ally to put what her heart was feeling into words.<p>

During that time, she totally avoided Austin; running away was a patented defense mechanism for both of them.

Trish and Dez exchanged worried glances every so often, but stayed with their prospective best friends.

Monday was the breaking point for Ally. After school had ended, she jumped into her car and drove to Austin's house, almost (but not quite) reaching the speed limit.

"Oh, hi Ally!" Austin's mom greeted her cheerfully, customary cable knit sweater thrown over her shoulder.

"Hi, Mrs. Moon," Ally greeted quickly. "Do you know where Austin is? I have something really important that I need to tell him and it'd be great if you could just point me off in the direction of where he is-"

"Hey." Austin cut her endless rambling off.

Ally blinked, once, twice, startled. "Oh. Uh, hi."

"Well, I have a meeting to get to... have fun, kids!" Mrs. Moon kissed each of them on their heads then hurried off, secretly glad that she had removed herself from _that_ awkward situation, but also a little disappointed that she didn't get to witness all the making up and perhaps even making out. No one had to tell her that Austin was upset, the poor boy had been moping all week, and the keen woman had a feeling that Ally had something to do with it. Now all she wanted was for Austin to be happy. And maybe get a girlfriend. Preferably Ally. And then he can marry her and they can have kids and _ohmygosh, the feels_. She shook herself a little, coming back to Earth. She started to back out of the driveway, wondering what Austin and Ally's children would look like the whole time.

Back at the house, the pair remained in an awkward silence.

Finally, Ally asked, "Can I come in or...?"

"Oh yeah, of course." He opened the door wider to let her in, and it was only then that she noticed how _shirtless_ he was. "We can talk in my room," he said, leading her to his room.

Inside, it was brightly colored, musically and athletically decorated, and, of course, contained a stack of coloring books and crayon boxes. Austin offered her a seat on one of the bean bag chairs silently, plopping down on one himself.

"So..." Ally began nervously, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. Austin watched her, expressionless, not saying a word. "Last week... I'm sorry that I ran away. I was scared and running away is as high-tech as it gets for my defense mechanisms, so yeah. Sorry."

He nodded, still impassive. "It's okay. I do it, too."

They sat in uncomfortable silence for awhile, then Ally finally burst out with, "You can't love me, okay! There's such a big chance that we would ruin _everything_, and not just between us, but between the people around us as well. It doesn't _matter_ if you'll wait, it doesn't _matter_ how much you love mem, _what if_?" She stood up, eyes blazing. "What if in ten years this has all gone wrong and we're not speaking to each other, causing Dez and Trish to not speak to each other even though I'm pretty sure they like each other! What if in ten years all our hard work from now goes down the drain, and because the spark in our relationship died, we ended up giving up our dreams? What if because of this relationship you want, we end up working 9-to-5 jobs in office cubicles, dressed in gray and white? _What if_?" she cried desperately.

For the first time since she'd seen him that day, his face bore an expression, and it was determination. "But what if it _does_ work? What if in ten years, we're married with kids and a couple of Grammy's to boot? What then? What if we could've had all of that, but you were just too scared to try? I promise you, Ally, I would never hurt you on purpose, and if by accident, then you are allowed to yell at me, slap me around, _whatever_. Every relationship has to go through bumps," he said lowly, standing up and coming close to her. "Nothing in this world is perfect," he told her, coming even closer. "At the moment, I love you. And while I'm 150% sure that I'll still love you 'til the day I die, who know what it'll be like in ten years, because let's be honest Ally, every relationship has a 50/50 chance of falling apart. But I know that I'll never be able to forgive myself _or_ move on if I don't at least _try_. That's all I'm asking, Als. I just want a _chance_."

"But what if..." She faltered, suddenly hyper-aware of how close they were- she could count his eyelashes if she wanted to. "What if..." she tried again, but the intensity in his eyes stopped her. She lowered her eyes and tried yet again. "What if... Oh, for the love of God, put on a shirt! I can't refuse you when you're all... like this!" She gestured helplessly at his bare chest.

He broke into a grin. "Good, I don't want you to refuse me." He was silent again for a moment, then, "So tell me, Ally, do you love me? Let's forget all the what if's and the maybe's. Push that all aside and tell me: do you love me?"

Her reply was soft; so soft that it was silent. But he heard it. "Yes."

And the next moment the curve of Austin's warm smile was pressed against hers. She didn't know how or when this happened, but somewhere along the way, in the two years she'd known the blonde singer, she had somehow fallen in love with him.

Just as she didn't know how or when she fell in love, she also had no idea how or when she had ended up pushed against the wall, making out with one A. Moon. She was glad his arms were around her, supporting her, because she was fairly sure her knees were about to give out. And then. Oh, _and then_. Breathlessly laughing, he murmured, "You're amazing," drawing back and starting to drop butterfly kisses along her jawline.

"So, what now?" she asked, out of breath. "Is this it? Are we boyfriend-and-girlfriend now?"

He nodded, coming back up to meet her eyes. "Promise you'll stay with me. No matter what happens; if we break up, if we end up hating each other, promise me you'll stay. I don't ever want to lose touch with you or forget you, no matter how painful it can potentially be."

She closed her eyes and nodded. "Y'know, there's this one guy that I kinda love... and I just promised him that I'll stay. Forever, if he needs me." Opening her eyes, she positively beamed. "Now, I do have one complaint against this guy..."

"And what is it?" He played along, not really paying attention and instead playing with her curls.

"Well, he's not kissing me right now." At that, his eyes flashed and they were back to making out.

"Better?" He mumbled against her lips.

He felt rather than saw her smile. "Much." And then her hands were tangled in his hair and everything was just right.

* * *

><p>Mimi Moon sat in her car, watching her son make out with his best friend amusedly through the 247 surveillance cameras. "I wonder if I'll have grandchildren when I come back... We'll have another prince or princess for Moon's Mattress Kingdom!" **(1)**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: (1) Reference to Episode 18 of Austin & Ally: Successes and Setbacks.**

**From,  
>Sabrina<strong>


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